The 2013 MacBook Air Review (11-inch)
by Vivek Gowri on August 9, 2013 1:45 AM ESTThe 11.6” Samsung display panel in my Air evaluation unit is actually the same one I had on my last MacBook Air, though the one before that had an LG panel. This is all based on the panel supply lottery, and while it’s been alleged that the Samsung is a superior quality panel in terms of contrast and viewing angles, I honestly can’t say there’s too much of a difference overall between the two. I’ve never had them side-by-side, and color calibration can certainly skew visual perception significantly, so let’s just say that your mileage may vary. If you don’t like the panel you get, take it back and try another one—Apple Stores seem to cater to discerning customers (or they have with me).
Obviously, given our familiarity with the Air 11”, there’s nothing surprising here with the 2013 edition. It’s roughly the same as the last few we’ve had, beyond standard panel to panel variations. Contrast ratio and color reproduction are pretty decent, as they were before, and viewing angles are solid by the standards of TN panels. This is still the best 11.6” TN panel I think I’ve come across, but it’s been eclipsed many times over by the 1080p IPS 11.6” panels that are shipping in basically any higher-end 11.6” Ultrabook these days.
This is probably the biggest issue that I have with the 11” Air. The 11.6” 1366x768 TN panel was industry standard when the first Air 11” hit the market, and the panel quality was actually pretty decent. The display size, pixel density, and aspect ratio each specifically aren’t bad on their own, but the combination results in a pretty unsatisfying viewing experience in this day and age. I’ve never liked the 1366x768 resolution for notebook displays, regardless of panel size; the lack of vertical pixels just kills it for me. Even 1280x800 in the 13” MacBook Pro (non-Retina) is better. I don’t mind 16:9 as an aspect ratio, even at this size, but I just want more pixels. That’s really the biggest part of what makes the 13” so much more usable, the 1440x900 display in that also won’t blow you away in terms of dot pitch or even visually when compared to the Retina MacBook Pro or a modern Ultrabook, but it offers a much more pleasant experience than this 11.6” panel.
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mmrezaie - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
I have to wait and see what rMBP 13 will offer. I am not interested in this years Air line. I have a 2011 Air line with i7, and still we haven't got any faster, and also one can never buy a notebook with this resolution after they saw the retina displays. ;-)VivekGowri - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
Yeah, this Air directly followed a 15" retina MacBook Pro for me, the display transition was...painful. I think the next rMBP13 is going to absolutely slay though, it's going to be ridiculous from an overall mobility standpoint.Samus - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
A one-thousand dollar netbook.As if a $800 tablet wasn't insulting enough (there are plenty of 10" tablets that can be expanded to 128GB and beyond for half that price.) I feel sorry for the suckers that buy the WWAN model for nearly $1000 with tax.
SirPerro - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
$800 iPad is far more insulting than this. But hey, sure there are wealthy people out there which don't give a shit about spending that ammount in such an inneficient way.MonkeyPaw - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
I don't think it's fair to say people are throwing their money around frivolously here. If you buy cheap $400 notebooks every year (because they aren't built to last very long) or upgrade premium phones all the time, then suddenly buying a well-made decent performing laptop for $1000 isn't so bad. From what I hear, Apple notebooks run for a long time and even resell for a good price, so if you keep this air for 3 years and then sell it for $400, you aren't really being so wasteful after all, are you?I'm not even an Apple owner, but let's face it, they make nice hardware.
kevith - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
I´ll agree to that. Macbooks are well built and lasts long.In fact, I think mac prices are pretty much what hardware ought to cost.
It´s easy to find a Windows based laptop, that wil match the Macbook in design, build quality and
wow-factor. And what does it cost? The same as a Macbook...
I never owned anything Mac, but that´s for totally different reasons.
nerd1 - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
Macbooks last long? try find out how much it takes to fix anything (display, keyboard, etc).madmilk - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
If you have to fix it, that's not long lasting.rudolphbyers - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
I would not trade my Macbook Air for anything in the world! /Rudolph from http://www.consumertop.com/best-desktop-guide/darwinosx - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
Right..like anyone fixes laptops as it is...try harder.