My new MacBook Air

[Julia Falling]

Hey — After ordering from MacMall to get the $60 discount and then waiting and waiting (and waiting some more), I cancelled and ordered directly from Apple on June 27th. It was a custom order, so I was told it would take two days to make and ought to ship by July 3rd. It shipped June 29th and arrived on July 3rd. Way to go, Apple (and FedEx).

 

I am very happy with it. Love the speed. I'm not really missing the larger screen at this point. I am certainly not missing the extra weight and heat.

 

The only difficulty was the transfer of my stuff from my MBP. Wireless transfer of that much data is just not practical. It went overnight and then hung (not literally) with 2 hours and 36 minutes to go. I had already run (not literally) to the local Apple reseller and purchased and USB—>ethernet adapter. After turning the machine off and restarting, I completed the transfer relatively quickly. However, iTunes permissions got messed up because of the stall. I called Apple. They said there was data in limbo (where is that exactly?) because of the failed transfer and that I should wipe the HD (not literally), reinstall ML, and transfer my stuff from an external drive (TimeMachine). Did that. Worked well. Only one folder within a folder failed to move so I did that manually (not literally).

 

Anyway, my advice is never to buy a machine that lacks an ethernet port without acquiring an adapter at the same time. I told Apple that the adapter should be part of the deal. If I had been a first-time Apple buyer and a non-geek, my experience would have been miserable. As it was, since I am a semi-geek and long-time Apple user, it was just annoying and time-consuming.

[R. Mansfield]

I had similar problems in 2011 going from a 2008 MBP to an 11" MBA. After deciding the 11" screen was too small, I went back to a 15" MBP last year, and because both of them had thunderbolt ports, I was able to get a cable to use with the ports and transfer was quick and easy. If Apple is still using Thunderbolt by the time you get your next computer, it should be a lot simpler.

And congrats on the new MacBook Air!

[Julia Falling]

Thanks for the suggestion, Rick — thunderbolt would no doubt have been a lot faster.

 

I love the fast boot and fast reboot with a SSD. This machine boots from off to password in under 13 seconds, and reboots in under a minute. Response in general seems very quick. So far I'm very happy with the smaller size as well — the 13" is enough. During those times I want more space, I can just connect to an external monitor.