Apple · MacBook Air

MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

Released June 2009

A 13-inch aluminium MacBook Air with faster Core 2 Duo processors and a choice of hard drive or solid-state storage.

Model history · 3 models, 2008–2009

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

What reviewers say

Reviewers praised the light aluminium body, keyboard and bright screen, with a lower price than the previous Air. Everyday performance was adequate, but the single recessed USB port, fixed memory and performance below the MacBook Pro remained limitations. Notebookcheck found throttling under heavy load and modest practical endurance.

From macworld.com and notebookcheck.net

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Screen size: 13.3″
Resolution: 1280 × 800
Touchscreen: No
Display type: Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; panel technology, refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.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 9400M
Memory: 2 GB
Storage: 120 GB to 128 GB
CPU: Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 at 1.86 GHz or SL9600 at 2.13 GHz, 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. Exact identities confirmed by EveryMac and Notebookcheck.
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type: 2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 onboard memory, not upgradeable
Storage type: The 1.86 GHz base has a 120 GB 4200-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; the 2.13 GHz base has a 128 GB solid-state drive. Configurations preserve these published combinations. Optional external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive; no built-in optical drive.

Battery and size

Battery capacity: 40 Wh
Weight: 1.36 kg
Thickness: 19.4 mm
Width × depth: 325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail: Built-in 40 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, Mini DisplayPort video output, headphone jack and MagSafe. USB Ethernet Adapter supplied; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI video adapters sold separately.
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 backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad: Multi-Touch trackpad with two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger and four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag gestures
Speakers: Mono speaker
Microphones: Omnidirectional microphone
In the box: MacBook Air, 45 W MagSafe power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, USB Ethernet Adapter, install/restore DVDs, display cleaning cloth and documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’09

Configurations

Processor	Memory	Storage	Graphics
Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400	2 GB	120 GB	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600	2 GB	128 GB	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M

Pros and cons

Pros

1.36 kg aluminium enclosure
Backlit keyboard and Multi-Touch trackpad
Mini DisplayPort supports large external displays

Cons

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

Closest rivals

Model	Size	Display	Processor	Memory	Weight	Battery	Released
AppleMacBook Air (Original)	13.3″	TN LCD	Intel Core 2	2 GB	1.36 kg	–	Jan 2008
AppleMacBook Air (Late 2008)	13.3″	–	Intel Core 2	2 GB	1.36 kg	–	Nov 2008
AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)	13.3″	TN LCD	Intel Core i5 or i7	8 GB	1.35 kg	12 h	Jun 2017

Previous model: MacBook Air (Late 2008). Newer model: MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010).

Sources

Photo: cdsassets.apple.com

Spot a mistake? Tell us