Fortunately, yes. Apple has really upped the game this time around and have turned something of just a good-looking desire into something we actually want and need. Forever gone is the plastic-surgery-clad MacBook, that has been recently discontinued (unless you are in an educational institution), and here comes the 2011 MacBook Air.

There are two separate models you can get your hands on; the 13″ model and the 11″ model. The 13 comes with two USB ports either side of the notebook, but is also joined by Apple’s new 10GB/sec lightning-fast port called Thunderbolt, which will allow a string of devices to be attached to one another. The 13″ will also house an SD card reader, something that the 11″ does not. Apple has been doing a lot of ‘tidying up’ recently decided to get rid off the Ethernet port.

The overall build quality of the touchpad and keyboard have also received a welcome makeover. The touchpad is less hollow, and the keys feel more responsive and springy. That’s not to mention the addition of a backlight that will let you press those awkward keys in the dark. Bravo!

As for specifications, you’ll be rolling with a new Intel Core i5 or i7 ULV processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory (2GB for the base 11″ model), a 64GB SSD for the 11, and up to 256GB for the top of the range 13, and Intel HD 3000 graphics. The only thing that us down here is the screen resolutions. You get 1440 x 900 glossy, LED-backlit panel on the 13″, whilst the 11″ has to make do with the bog standard 1366 x 768, and although still impressive, can be a problem for some who like to work on photos or anything with lots of pixels. There is also no option for a matte unit.

All in all, the 2011 MacBook Air answered all the questions that you’d want to answer, and does a great job at overcoming that of its predecessor. Engadget score it 9/10 and couldn’t fault its performance or its design, but as stated in the previous paragraph the screen resolution and lack of a matte display option must be seen as negatives.

For a more in depth look at the 2011 MacBook Air, check out Engadget’s article that covers benchmarking, testing, and an all round look at what makes this machine a real stellar choice.

Have you looked at the new MacBook Air’s yet? What is your opinion?

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Let’s start with the 11-inch model, current models allow you to choose either a 1.4GHz or 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, either 2GB or 4GB of DDR3 RAM, the choice of 64GB of flash storage of 128GB, NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics, 2 x USB 2.0 ports and an 11.6-inch display which has a native resolution of 1366 x 768.

So what can we expect from the 11-inch model in 2011? Well we expect there to be dual-core Core i3 and Core i5 processor options, a minimum of 4GB of RAM, WiFi b/g/n, at least 1 x USB 2.0 port, a Thunderbolt port, 128GB and 256GB SSD options and a similar size display as before which supports a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (or similar). As for its graphics its hard to say, but we expect an AMD Radeon HD GPU, something from their 6 series mobile options.

As for the 13-inch models they currently feature 1.86GHz or 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors, either 2GB or 4GB of DDR3 RAM, the choice of 128GB of flash storage of 256GB, NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics, 2 x USB 2.0 ports and an 13.3-inch display which has a native resolution of 1440 x 900.

We expect the next models to be quite similar, however there will probably some sort of dual-core and quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 processor options, at least 4GB of RAM, WiFi b/g/n, Thunderbolt connectivity, at least 1 x USB 2.0 port and 256GB and 512GB SSD options. Apple will probably stick with the 13.3-inch display but will bump the resolution up to something in excess of 1080p, perhaps something along the lines of 1920 x 1200. Again the GPU is hard to guess, but we expect something from AMD’s Radeon HD 6 series (mobile) offerings, perhaps slightly more impressive than the 11-inch model.

Last year’s MacBook Airs featured a complete redesign which was thin and lightweight, therefore we wouldn’t be too surprised if they had the same shell but different components within, also we won’t rule out the possibility of a SIM-card slot for 3G and 4G connectivity on the go. The new Sandy Bridge processors should give this year’s MacBook Air models better battery life and faster performance, perhaps these will be the last Intel-based MacBook Airs we see before they switch over to ARM (see here).

What are your spec expectation / wishes for the 2011 MacBook Airs?

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