Apple has yet again released a newer version of its acclaimed super thin and light MacBook Air line up. Dubbed as the MacBook Air 2012, this ultraportable device remains at a middle ground between the thicker MacBook Pro and the thinner earlier version, the MacBook Air 2011.

The MacBook Air (mid-2012) battery as lasting “up to 7 hours”, but we’re pleased to report that Apple’s marketing is understating that number by as much as an hour and a half.

Here are various reported samplings from the 2012 MacBook Air 13″:

8:25 – screen at 40% brightness, keyboard backlighting on 50% brightness, light web browsing with Safari (no Flash plug-in installed), and text-based work in TextWrangler and Pages.
6:45 – screen at 70% brightness, otherwise same as above
5:33 – screen at 80% brightness, keyboard backlighting on full brightness, heavy app usage.
4:15 – screen at 100% brightness, keyboard backlighting on full brightness, heavy app usage with tons of apps open including Chrome (with Flash) open with about 25 browser tabs, image editing in Pixelmator, using 6GB of RAM, while driving an external 22″ display.
3:40 – screen at 80% brightness, reasonable app usage, heavy wi-fi usage downloading 16GB sustained at 1.2mb/sec.

The big change in the MacBook Air 13 is the move to the new Ivy Bridge base processor. For the base configuration, this is the Intel Core i5-3427U dual core processor. It offers a slight speed bump over the older Core i5-2557M found in last years model. Performance actually improved much more thanks to the increased speed of the 4GB of DDR3 memory up to the 1600MHz from 1333MHz.

For the 11-inch MacBook Air 2012, the base model with its Intel Core i5 central processor is clocked at 1.7 GHz but has a Turbo Boost capability of up to 2.6 GHz. For the 13 inches, the default processor with its Intel Core i5 chip measures 1.8 GHz but gives up to 2.8 GHz of performance at Turbo Boost. For storage, there are the 64 GB and 128 GB SSDs for the 11-inch model, and 128 GB and 256 GB for the 13-inch model. For the 128 GB in the 11-inch MacBook Air 2012, the drive is configurable with a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD drive. For the 256 GB model in the 13-inch MacBook Air 2012, it can be bumped up to 512 GB for an additional $500. For all versions the default RAM size is 4 GB (1,600MHz DDR3L) with an option to upgrade to 8 GB for another $100.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch Tech Specs.

Intel Core i5-3427U Dual Core Mobile Processor
4GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Memory
128GB Solid State Drive
13.3" WXA+ (1440x900) Display With 1.3 Megapixel Webcam
Intel HD Graphics 4000 Integrated Graphics
802.11a/g/n Wireless, Bluetooth
Two USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, SDXC Card Slot
12.8" x 8.9" x .7" @ 3 lbs.
Mac OS X, iLife

MacBook Air 2012 Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboards are just as comfy as ever, and though they're not quite as cushy as what you'll find on a MacBook Pro, they still offer more travel than most Ultrabook keyboards. Also unchanged: that spacious glass trackpad. Throw in the white LED backlighting, and it’s mostly a pleasure to type on. Palm rejection is excellent as well, and we enjoyed flawless tracking in both OS X and Windows 7, which we installed using Bootcamp. The built-in button, too, is quiet and easy to press.

MacBook Air 2012 Screen and Speakers
Apple was ahead of most 13in competitors with the Air’s screen resolution of 1,440 x 900. However, now we’re seeing more and more rivals offering 1,600 x 900 or even Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) at the same screen size. On top of that, while the panel Apple has used is certainly one of the better examples of TN, it’s still inferior to the IPS and PLS we’re beginning to see in premium laptops from other brands.

Apple Fruit cut with MacBook Air

Have a Look at the Video:

ASUS says their new ZENBOOK was designed for elegance and power, guided by four key principles:

Incredible Beauty - ASUS ZENBOOK achieves a unique combination of artistic craftsmanship and advanced technology. It arises from the efforts of a dedicated team of designers and engineers, working hard to deliver a portable PC that’s eminently cool, stylish and powerful, gifted with a harmony of great looks and potent features.

Pure Design - Art melds seamlessly with technology upon viewing the ASUS ZENBOOK. The silver exterior panel features a concentric circle design that refracts a halo of light that excites the senses. With a thickness of 0.11" at the front and 0.35" at the rear, the ZENBOOK's exterior lines are sleek, making it the thinnest Ultrabook on the market and perfect for users constantly on-the-go or in the classroom.

Unrivalled Performance - The ZENBOOK is designed with an instant-on feature that resumes the system in about 2 seconds and features incredible standby times up to 2 weeks, which is four times more than the industry standard. Although svelte and sleek, the ZENBOOK packs an impressive and uncompromising list of technological breakthroughs. It uses the latest Intel 2nd generation Core processors (optimized for mobile use), SATA Revision 3.0 solid state storage (SSD), Bluetooth V4.0 and USB 3.0. ASUS has also added USB Charger+ technology, which uses the powered USB 3.0 port to recharge portable devices in a fraction of the time it would normally take. To accommodate all of these technologies, ASUS engineers designed custom cooling technology using a V-shaped channel with a unique copper fin design for improved airflow and cooling. When battery life dips below 5 percent, the ZENBOOK will automatically save files in progress to prevent data loss.

Incredibly Green - The ZENBOOK provides its users a peace of mind in knowing that they are consuming less energy. It utilizes ASUS' patented Super Hybrid Engine II technology, which intelligently conserves battery life and allows the ZENBOOK to have up to 25% more battery life than other Ultrabook designs.

Transcending Audio - Recognizing that an ultrabook is not only a tool for work, but also for entertainment, each ZENBOOK is equipped with ASUS SonicMaster technology, an optimized fusion of hardware and software developed by the ASUS Golden Ear team and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower. SonicMaster provides a wide sonic spectrum surround sound that can fill a room with smooth jazz or the tranquil sound of a mountain stream.

Price and Availability

The ZENBOOK will be available for order in North America with prices starting at $999.

ASUS ZENBOOK Product Feature Specification Sheet:

Model	UX21	UX31
Z-height	3mm at the front; 9mm at the rear	3mm at the front; 9mm at the rear
Screen	11.6 (16:9)	13.3 (16:9)
CPU	Intel Core i3-2367 / i5-2467 / i7-2677	Intel Core i5-2557 / i7-2677
Backlight/Resolution	450 nits HD 1366x768	450 nits HD 1600X900
Instant on	Always resume in 2 seconds	Always resume in 2 seconds
USB charger+	Y	Y
I/O port	6 (USB2.0 / USB3.0 / audio jack / DC jack / microHDMI / miniVGA)	7 (USB2.0 / USB3.0 / audio jack / DC jack / microHDMI / miniVGA / SD card reader)
USB3.0	1 Port	1 Port
SSD Generation	SATAIII SSD (64G/128G/256G)	SATAIII SSD (128G/256G)
Second	Row	Row
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 4.0
Battery	35W (5+ hrs)	50W (7+hrs)
Mic	MEMS MIC (Digital MIC)	MEMS MIC (Digital MIC)
Keyboard	268 Chiclit KB	268 Chiclit KB
Camera	0.3M	0.3M
Audio	Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® SonicMaster	Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® SonicMaster

The ASUS ZENBOOK - Design Concept


The ASUS ZENBOOK - Incredible Speed & Performance


via: Asus Image: Asus

Acer introduced its first Ultrabook market at this year's IFA. A more ultra-slim towards the trend-setting MacBook Air design than Toshiba's Portégé Z830 notebook, the Aspire S3 will come with a choice of second generation Intel Core processors, either solid state or hybrid hard drive storage and promises an impressive battery life. We got up close and personal with the pre-production models on show in Berlin, but were left less than impressed.

The Aspire S3 features a vent-free bottom so the notebook rests comfortably on the user's lap. Warm components are smartly placed away from the palmrest and touchpad area, so users won't feel any heat discomfort. Further innovation is offered via a new airflow design that dissipates warm air from the rear of the notebook, preventing air from blowing towards the user's hands. Finally, the fan motor is optimized to enhance efficiency and lower power consumption to help increase system battery life.


Acer Aspire S3 design:

Image by Google

This is a rather late review considering that the 11-inch Macbook Air launched months ago. However, this device is one of the prettiest I’ve seen so I still wanted to do a review.

Apple MacBook Air 11 inches Specs and Features:

• 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor
• 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
• 64GB or 128GB flash storage
• Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics processor
• 1366×768 glossy 11.6-inch LED-backlit widescreen display
• 2 USB 2.0 ports
• Mini DisplayPort
• iSight
• 802.11n AirPort Extreme
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• headphone minijack with support for Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic
• stereo speakers
• omnidirectional microphone

Apple MacBook Air 11 inches Design:

This laptop is ridiculously thin I can use it as a shaver. Ok, I’m exaggerating here but this is meant to drive home my point. The 11-inch Macbook Air is only 3mm at its thinnest part and 17mm at its thickest you wonder how Apple has crammed everything into this very thin device. Apple seems to have perfected the art of making ultra thin laptops.
Apple MacBook Air 11 inches Screen:

One of the nicest things about the Macbook Air is the screen. The display measures 11.6 inches diagonally with a resolution of 1,366×768 pixels, higher than that of most netbook displays. It’s extremely bright and colorful. Videos and photos on this MacBook Air look sharp, colors are vibrant. The Macbook Air’s screen is the best I’ve seen in an ultraportable.

Apple MacBook Air 11 inches Keyboard and Trackpad:

The keyboard on the Macbook Air is a pleasure to use. The keys are large enough so typing is not a problem. And have really good tactile feedback. Unlike the MacBook Pro, however, the Macbook Air keyboard has no backlight.

The trackpad is equally excellent. The Macbook Air uses a buttonless Multi-Touch trackpad. That means you can perform multi-touch gestures. It is very responsive and extremely satisfying to use.

Apple MacBook Air 11 inches Performance:

The 11-inch version of the MacBook Air comes in two configurations. The lower model gives you a 64GB of flash storage, a dual-core 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics card. The higher configuration has 128GB of flash storage. It is a good thing that the Macbook Air uses flash storage. It is safer than hard drive because it doesn’t have moving parts. And it’s proven to be faster.

The Air’s specs are not impressive on paper. It’s a Core 2 Duo processor, not a Core i3, i5, or i7, so you would expect the performance to be a bit wanting. The RAM is also a bit slow at 2GB when 4GB seems to be the standard. Surprisingly though, the Macbook Air doesn’t disappoint in terms of performance. Navigating the Mac OS X is nice on the Macbook Air. Applications load fast enough and opening softwares all proved reasonably swift.

Apple MacBook Air 11 inches Price and Configurations:
Apple MC505LL/A MBAIR 11.6 1.4 2 64 Flash . $835
Bto MacBook Air C2D/1.6 11 4GB 128GB FlashZ0JK0LL/A (Z0JK0LLA) $1,299

Apple MacBook Air 11 inches Conclusion:
The 11-inch MacBook Air is a laptop that will undoubtedly cause heated debates. It's undeniably tiny and packs a serious computing punch, but its sky-high price and meagre scattering of ports will definitely not appeal to everyone.

We were certainly impressed with the amount of processing grunt Apple has managed to pack into such a slim body. If we needed a powerful ultraportable purely for travelling purposes, we would go for the 11-inch Air. However, the larger screen size, better battery life and inclusion of an SD card slot makes the 13-inch Air a better compromise for general use.

Advantage: Beautiful design, light but sturdy, very nice display and keyboard, fast performance.

Disadvantage: No SD card slot, old processor, 2GB RAM is insufficient, limited hard drive space, keyboard isn’t backlit, expensive.