There’s no built-in ethernet port if you need ethernet, Apple sells a USB 2.0 ethernet adapter for $29. Rather than include an install disc or flash drive, OS X 10.7 Lion includes a recovery partition.Ī few things are missing. The MBA has no built-in optical drive, but you can add an external USB 2.0 SuperDrive for US$79.

You can expand RAM from the stock 2 GB, with 4 GB as the 11.6″ MBA’s maximum (a $100 build-to-order option), and for the first time you can have Apple install a 256 GB SSD in the entry-level model.įor those who need or want a faster CPU, a 1.8 GHz i7 is a build-to-order option for the 128 GB SSD model. Two USB 2.0 ports (one on each side) remain standard, and the native screen resolution of 1366 x 768 is also the same as last year. Battery life is rated at “up to” 5 hours. Apple claims this makes its SSDs twice as fast as conventional ones. Solid-state drives (SSD) are standard across the board – and they’re built right onto the motherboard. That means also integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000, so say good-bye to the Nvidia GPU used in last year’s version.Ī backlit keyboard is back, making it much easier to use the MacBook Air in poor lighting. Apple claims the new CPUs “do everything twice as fast” – we’ll know more when we see benchmarks for the upgraded models. That pretty much summarizes the July 2011 update to the MacBook Air.Īt its heart is a 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 CPU, with a 1.8 GHz i7 version for those who need more power. Same small size, same small price, same SSD options, but a whole new CPU – and lightning-fast Thunderbolt to round things out.

Macbook air 11 inch 2011 hard drive