Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)

Apple · MacBook Air

MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)

Released October 2010

A 13-inch Intel MacBook Air with Core 2 Duo processors, flash storage and a compact aluminium body.

Model history · 4 models, 2008–2010
  1. 2008MacBook Air (Original)Compare
  2. 2008MacBook Air (Late 2008)Compare
  3. 2009MacBook Air (Mid 2009)Compare
  4. 2010MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)
Size
13.3″
Display
TN LCD
Processor
Intel Core 2
Memory
2 GB – 4 GB
Weight
1.32 kg
Battery
7 h

What reviewers say

Reviewers praised the aluminium construction, keyboard and trackpad, responsive flash storage and useful battery endurance. Everyday performance and graphics improved, while the glossy screen, high price, limited connections and restricted upgrades remained weaknesses. They also missed keyboard backlighting.

From macworld.com and notebookcheck.net

Display

Screen size
13.3″
Resolution
1440 × 900
Panel
TN LCD
Touchscreen
No
Display type
Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel confirmed by Notebookcheck's exact-model review. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.

Performance

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 or Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600
CPU cores
2
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce 320M
Memory
2 GB or 4 GB
Storage
128 GB to 256 GB
CPU
Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 at 1.86 GHz or optional SL9600 at 2.13 GHz, with 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. Exact identities confirmed by Notebookcheck and EveryMac; the faster processor is offered only on the higher storage base, as documented by Macworld.
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce 320M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type
2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 onboard memory, configurable to 4 GB
Storage type
128 GB flash storage with SL9400; 256 GB base supports SL9400 or SL9600. Configurations preserve the base-specific upgrade restrictions; memory cannot be upgraded after purchase.

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity
50 Wh
Weight
1.32 kg
Thickness
17 mm
Width × depth
325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail
Built-in 50 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless productivity or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 3 to 17 mm
Colours
Silver

Connections

Ports
2 × USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot
Wi-Fi
802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
2.1 + EDR
Webcam
FaceTime camera
Operating system
macOS
Port detail
Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, Mini DisplayPort output, MagSafe, SD card slot and headphone jack supporting the Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separate adapters.
External displays
Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring
Keyboard
Full-size keyboard without backlighting
Trackpad
Multi-Touch trackpad
Speakers
Stereo speakers
Microphones
Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
MacBook Air, power adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife ’11, Software Reinstall Drive and documentation

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorageGraphics
Intel Core 2 Duo SL94002 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce 320M
Intel Core 2 Duo SL94004 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce 320M
Intel Core 2 Duo SL94002 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce 320M
Intel Core 2 Duo SL94004 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce 320M
Intel Core 2 Duo SL96002 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce 320M
Intel Core 2 Duo SL96004 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce 320M

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 1.32 kg aluminium enclosure
  • Full-size keyboard and Multi-Touch trackpad
  • SD card slot, USB-A ports and MagSafe charging

Cons

  • 1440 × 900 display
  • No built-in Ethernet connection
  • Memory cannot be upgraded after purchase

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
13.3″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i78 GB1.35 kg12 hJun 2017
13.3″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i74 GB – 8 GB1.35 kg12 hApr 2014
13.3″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i74 GB – 8 GB1.35 kg12 hMar 2015

Previous model: MacBook Air (Mid 2009). Newer model: MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112585
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2010/10/20Apple-Reinvents-Notebooks-With-New-MacBook-Air
  3. macworld.com/article/208601/macbook-air.html
  4. notebookcheck.net/Review-Apple-MacBook-Air-13-Inch-2010-Subnotebook.40961.0.html
  5. everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook-air/specs/macbook-air-core-2-duo-2.13-13-lat…

Photo: cdsassets.apple.com

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