T3 notes that back in 2008, Apple made laptops cool again by unleashing the super-skinny MacBook Air, which was made even thinner in 2010, and that the recently announced mid-2012 version adds the latest Intel Ivy Bridge Core i CPUs and HD Graphics 4000 IGPUs, doubled base and upgraded RAM capacity (4 GB and 8 GB respectively), plau Thunderbolt and new USB 3.0 I/O ports, providing it with not only the looks but the power to once again dominate the ultraportable notebook market – or does it?
The reviewers note that the PC Ultrabook slimline laptop revolution has spawned a new wave of competing svelte laptops such as the Asus ZenBook UX31, the HP Envy 14 Spectre, the Dell XPS 13 and the Acer Aspire S3, and query whether the new MacBook Air still has what it takes to lead the pack, observing that the 2012 MacBook Air models are more evolutionary than revolutionary, with their third major refresh on exactly the same chassis.
However, they acknowledge that the MacBook Air design and build are still the model that the new Ultrabook brigade strive for, with 11.6-inch model reviewed weighing just over 1kg, and the 13-inch model just 270g more, both with the excellent MacBook backlit keyboard and Apple’s brilliant multitouch trackpad now offered at a much more competitive price, leading to the conclusion that the MacBook Air is still the perfect portable machine and, despite the Ultrabook onslaught, it still the most desirable notebook available.
For the full review visit here:
http://www.t3.com/reviews/macbook-air-2012-review
