USB 3.0 is the only new addition to this year's Air: there are two ports, one sits on each side. Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacksĮthernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone combo jack The 720p Webcam is upgraded from last year's MacBook Air Webcam and helps make higher-quality video calls, a welcome touch.

The MacBook Air's speakers deliver crisp sound for casual movie, video, and music viewing and listening (or for FaceTime), but in a noisy room you'll want to use headphones. It's great for single-window Web browsing or application work, but multiple windows become a challenge. While small, the screen is very bright and crisp, with decent viewing angles. The screen area lacks the edge-to-edge glass over a black bezel found in other MacBooks instead the screen is surrounded by a thick aluminum bezel. The 11-inch Air is still the only MacBook with a 16:9 display (the 13-inch Air and other MacBooks are all 16:10), and uses the same 1,366x768-pixel native resolution as most Windows laptops from 11 to 15 inches. Apple's iLife suite of software - GarageBand, iPhoto, and iMovie - also comes preinstalled. The new Air comes with OS X Lion installed, but users will be grandfathered in to a free upgrade to Mountain Lion 10.8 when it becomes available.

The connector port isn't compatible with older MagSafe cables. The only cosmetic change to the Air's exterior is a new MagSafe 2 connector that fits with a new charging cable that juts out rather than riding snugly along the Air's side. The pad's surface area is smaller than on a 13-inch Pro or Air, but there's plenty of room for basic navigation - although four-finger pinch gestures can get a bit cramped. The multitouch glass clickpad below is still the best in its class, perfectly responsive and tuned to Apple's operating system and software. The backlit keyboard has the same shallower raised keys as the 13-inch Air, but the typing experience, once you get used to it, feels excellent.

Icasse macbook 11 inch