The words “ There ’s something in the air ” at Macworld Expo made the MacBook Air sound like a theme - thin giving descending from Apple ’s Eden . And after testing several incremental rise to pre - existing Macs , I was looking forward to the Air — something brand new , a intimation of fresh aura , if you will . But , after spending some time test the MacBook Air , the only affair in the tune around the Macworld Lab were words one ca n’t reprint in a family issue .
As we observe in our MacBook Air reappraisal , this laptop is n’t for everybody . But in weighing who should and should n’t buy a MacBook Air , our inspection leave out one key type of user from consideration : citizenry who have to do broad speed examination of Mac laptop computer . Okay , so there are n’t many of us . But we do typify 100 percent of the universe of the Macworld Lab .
It started with set up Speedmark — Macworld Lab ’s suite of test coating and files to perform benchmarking — on the MacBook Air . We typically channelise those files using Apple ’s Migration Assistant and a FireWire connection , but of class a coup d’oeil at theAir ’s tech specswill tell you that this laptop does n’t do FireWire . alternatively , we had to sync using the new Migration Assistant , which lets you transfer files via AirPort , Ethernet , or via USB from a Time Machine backup .
This never-ending installation message had Macworld Lab testers ready for a fight.
I wish well I could say we migrated seamlessly using Wi - Fi , but we did n’t . On our first endeavor to migrate , we end up cancelling our ostensibly dateless wireless migration and instead using an Ethernet cable’s length and Apple ’s USB Ethernet adaptor to do the transfer . Once we had completed the lengthy transfer procedure , some applications — admit Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office — were mysteriously mislay in migration . On the screen background , false name icons transfer over as clean , lily-white documents . I get word Jim groan as he progress to for the optical private road to reinstall the program that were fall behind in the ether . ( Jason Snell did n’t experience most of these problems when he used the Migration Assistant , though he did experience some strange problems with image of files on his background as well as extended transfer times . )
Then there was the electric battery , which we ’ve been screen for a report on the MacBook Air ’s barrage fire life . In his limited review , Jason observe the Air was taking a peculiarly recollective clip to load to the full . Jim , Jason and I have been lay the Air ’s barrage to the examination over the past week . The final result have been … puzzling . In one test , it pack us nine hour to completely file its battery . The next day I tested the same unit again , and the recharge time dropped to five hours . We ’ve gotten our hand on two more MacBook Airs since then , and the results of bombardment testing proceed to be all over the map .
When we at last set out Speedmark up and hunt down , the course looked smooth . I finished running most of the tests on a 1.8GHz MacBook Air with a solid - state ride , and all that was leave was our video - rendering test using Compressor 3 , an software included in Final Cut Pro Studio 2 . Compressor repeatedly miscarry when we dawn the Submit button to commence rendering . A license repair did n’t help . Reinstalling Final Cut Pro Studio did n’t work . blue-pencil everything Final track - concern and reinstalling Compressor did n’t work . in the end , Jim resolve to reformat the concentrated driving force and reinstall Leopard and Final Cut Pro with the optional outside ocular thrust . That worked .
This never - ending installment content had Macworld Lab testers quick for a fighting .
Jim and I did n’t want to confront any delays using Migration Assistant , so we think perhaps making a Time Machine backup of a Speedmark scheme and copy over files via a USB drive would be easier . So Jim put this to the exam — he create a Time Machine backup of a Speedmark system , reformatted a 1.6GHz MacBook Air , plugged in the ocular driving force and put in the DVD to instal Leopard . He snap Install and the condition streak appeared with the subject matter “ Time Remaining : Calculating … ” An hour passed , and that message remained . Four hours passed , and that message never changed . last , Jim personnel - leave office the Air and tried again . This meter it work . Despite his expertise on all things Mac , he did n’t understand what was happening .
Of course , unless you ’ve decided to put up a test lab in your basement and make your own retinue of program - establish Mac speed tests , you may not run into any of the curiosity we have . But we most definitely learned one matter this week : the MacBook Air is a unlike kind of beast , and it ’s going to take a little while for us to learn all its idiosyncracies . ( decently now would probably not be the expert clip to ask us if that ’s a honest matter or not . )
