Apple MacBook Air (Original)

Apple · MacBook Air

MacBook Air (Original)

Released January 2008

The original 13-inch MacBook Air with a thin aluminium enclosure, fixed memory and optional solid-state storage.

Size
13.3″
Display
TN LCD
Processor
Intel Core 2
Memory
2 GB
Weight
1.36 kg
Battery
–

What reviewers say

Reviewers praised the light, sturdy aluminium body, full-size keyboard and bright screen for everyday writing and browsing. The single recessed USB port, slow hard drive, limited performance and fixed memory constrained its usefulness; both found battery endurance modest.

From macworld.com and arstechnica.com

Display

Screen size
13.3″
Resolution
1280 × 800
Panel
TN LCD
Touchscreen
No
Display type
Glossy LED-backlit widescreen TFT LCD, millions of colours. TN panel identified in Notebookcheck’s exact-model review; refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.

Performance

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008) or Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008)
CPU cores
2
Graphics
Intel GMA X3100
Memory
2 GB
Storage
64 GB to 80 GB
CPU
Custom dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 1.6 GHz or optional 1.8 GHz, 4 MB shared L2 cache and 800 MHz frontside bus. Chip records retain the maker’s clock and model description because exact Intel part numbers are not maker-confirmed.
GPU
Intel GMA X3100 with 144 MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type
2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 onboard memory, not upgradeable
Storage type
80 GB 4200-rpm Parallel ATA hard drive or optional 64 GB solid-state drive, available with either processor. No built-in optical drive; optional external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive.

Battery and size

Battery capacity
37 Wh
Weight
1.36 kg
Thickness
19.4 mm
Width × depth
325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail
Built-in 37 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; no runtime figure on the current maker technical sheet.
Charger
45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 4 to 19.4 mm
Colours
Silver

Connections

Ports
USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
2.1 + EDR
Webcam
Built-in iSight camera
Operating system
macOS
Port detail
One USB 2.0 port up to 480 Mb/s, Micro-DVI video output, headphone jack and MagSafe. Micro-DVI to DVI and VGA adapters supplied; Ethernet requires an optional USB adapter.
External displays
Built-in screen plus one external display up to 1920 × 1200, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring
Keyboard
Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Multi-Touch trackpad with scroll, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap, double-tap and drag gestures
Speakers
Mono speaker
Microphones
Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
MacBook Air, MagSafe power adapter, Micro-DVI to DVI and VGA adapters, cleaning cloth, install/restore DVDs and printed documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’08

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorageGraphics
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008)2 GB80 GBIntel GMA X3100
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008)2 GB64 GBIntel GMA X3100
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008)2 GB80 GBIntel GMA X3100
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008)2 GB64 GBIntel GMA X3100

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 1.36 kg aluminium enclosure
  • Full-size backlit keyboard
  • Optional solid-state storage

Cons

  • Only one USB port
  • Memory cannot be upgraded
  • No built-in Ethernet or optical drive

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
13.3″–Intel Core 22 GB1.36 kg–Nov 2008
13.3″–Intel Core 22 GB1.36 kg–Jun 2009
13.3″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i78 GB1.35 kg12 hJun 2017

Newer model: MacBook Air (Late 2008).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-us/112533
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2008/01/30MacBook-Air-Now-Shipping
  3. notebookcheck.org/Analisis-de-la-subportatil-Apple-MacBook-Air.8136.0.html

Photo: cdsassets.apple.com

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