In observe with our theme of drive out the latest findings from our ongoing MacBook Air tests , I ’d wish to focus on a issue almost and dear to the lick of portable exploiter — just how spicy the MacBook Air gets after a middling amount of extended use . After all , having an extremist - fragile notebook computer is bang-up , but if it ’s too hot to sit on your circle , it ’s of limited use .

Fortunately , testing by Macworld Lab observe that the MacBook Air is among the cool Mac laptop on the market , finishing with the best score in the more decisive of our external trial and finish within a little more than a half - degree of the winner in our measurement internal temperature . This is n’t surprising since it also run on the slowest central processor find in currently usable Mac portable . Nevertheless , it ’s telling that a notebook computer of this sizing managed to keep its cool .

How we tested

Along with a stock configuration MacBook Air ( that is , the 1.6GHz machine with the 80 GB PATA hard drive ) , we also measured the temperature of a 2GHz MacBook Core 2 Duo , a 15 - inch 2.6GHz MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo , a 17 - inch MacBook Pro with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo crisp , and a 1.67GHz PowerBook G4 . Using the surface probe of an infrared thermometer , we measured external temperature in the same “ hot spots ” for each laptop computer — the bar above the keyboard key and the area surrounding the electric battery .

We also measured the internal temperatures of each Intel - free-base laptop computer usingTemperature Monitor Widget 2.4 . ( We did n’t launch the test on the PowerBook as the software system does not grow comparable results for PowerPC- and Intel - found systems . )

This is n’t the first time Macworld Lab has do temperature testing . More than a year ago we post our first observational results evaluate MacBook Pro temperatures . We revised our procedure taking somesuggestions from reader . We run our tryout in a cell with a room temperature of roughly 76 academic degree ; each machine hold 2 GB of RAM and ran six QuickTime drone on loop while at the same time converting a flick with iSquint for 30 minutes .

Here ’s how the MacBook Air fare :

MacBook Air Temperature Tests

Best results inred .

All results are in Fahrenheit . To assess extraneous temperature , we used an infrared thermometer to get readings on the taproom above the F - keys and the area beleaguer the barrage on each laptop computer . Temperatures were measured after 20 bit of running six Apple QuickTime lagger and convert a video with iSquint simultaneously . interior temperature was recorded using Temperature Monitor . We did not launch the trial on the PowerBook as Temperature Monitor does not produce comparable results for PowerPC- and Intel - base systems.—MACWORLD LAB TESTING BY BRIAN CHEN

( And yes , there ’s also a Celsius rendering of our chart for those of you who do n’t cotton to Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . )

The MacBook Air heat up up to 99.8 degrees Fahrenheit in the area near the battery and 105 point above the keyboard . By way of comparability , a 2GHz MacBook Core 2 couplet hand peak temperatures of 102.3 degrees and 95.6 degrees , respectively . You ’ll note that the MacBook ’s temperature above the keyboard is cooler than that of the MacBook Air , but we set more importance in the result near the electric battery since that ’s the area that comes into contact with your lap covering . The MacBook Air run considerably coolheaded than the hottest laptop in our test — the 17 - inch 2.4GHz MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo , which hot up up to 111.1 academic degree and 119.5 degrees , severally .

In our interior temperature testing , the free Temperature Monitor Widget reported that high temperature - sink temperature top off out at 132.8 degrees for the Air . That ’s the same as the 17 - inch 2.4GHz MacBook Pro , but a few tenths of a degree higher than the 132.2 arcdegree temperature turned in for the 15 - column inch MacBook Pro . The temperature are so close , however , that category is essentially a thrust . ( Not so for the 2GHz MacBook — it fire up up to 152.6 degrees in this inner psychometric test . )

Obviously , temperature is n’t the only factor that would - be MacBook Air owner should look at . Everything from unvoiced - cause capacity to performance to battery living merits consideration . ( And Macworld science laboratory definitely has some strong feelings on many of those subjects . ) But it ’s nice to see that the MacBook Air ’s coolness does n’t just entail its streamlined design .