Apple MacBook Air 11-inch (Mid-2012) Review

The 11-inch MacBook Air's chassis hasn't changed too much from the previous iteration. It still measures 0.68 by 11.8 by 7.56 inches (HWD) and it still tapers down to a 0.11-inch wedge point. It has the same updated, chiclet-style, backlit keyboard as the MacBook Air 11-inch (Thunderbolt), as well as the same glass touchpad with multitouch functions. The trackpad supports one-, two-, three-, and four-finger gestures, and while it can take a while to get used to using four fingers to bring up stuff like the iPad-like Launchpad, but it's easy to get used to. For example, two fingers swiping from the right edge of the trackpad brings up the Notification Center, a new feature of OS X Mountain Lion. The keys are comfortable to type on, though they understandably have a shorter key travel than you may be used to with a full-sized laptop. The key travel is not as short as on uncomfortable Vizio laptops like the Vizio 15.6-inch Thin + Light (CT15-A1), but the keys may feel stiff if you're used to a desktop keyboard. The palm rest, like the rest of the unibody construction, is made from machined aluminum. The system weighs a feather-light 2.36 pounds alone, and 2.79 pounds with its AC adapter.

The system's screen measures 11.3-inches diagonally, with a 1,366-by-768 resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. While 1,366-by-768 is starting to feel cramped on larger 13- and 14-inch ultrabooks and laptops, the screen resolution is fine for the 11-inch form factor. Text and images look crisp without any pixilation. Still, 11-inch laptops are still an odd size, with most ultrabooks centering on the 13-inch form factor, like the 13-inch Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A-R5102F with its 1,920-by-1,080 resolution display. You'll find other outliers like our business ultraportable Editors' Choice, the 12.5-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X230. The X230 has the more common 1,366-by-768 display.