新款MacBook Air是終極商務筆記本嗎?
????筆記本全天候續航問題目前仍然無解。除非你使用配備了12芯擴展電池的惠普(HP)筆記本,要不然,要想支撐7小時以上無異于癡人說夢。 ????不過,蘋果(Apple)剛剛在全球開發者大會上公布的新款MacBook Air有望打破現狀。蘋果宣稱它13英寸和11英寸版Air的續航時間分別可達12小時和9小時,均比上代多了足足4個小時——真是了不起的進步。為了證明自己不是在吹牛,蘋果借給了我們一臺售價為1,199美元的11英寸Air。它的配置是1.3GHz雙核i5處理器、4GB內存和256GB閃存。 ????筆記本的外型幾乎沒有什么變化。對于新用戶來說,這沒什么問題。因為Air簡潔明快的線條、微不足道的2.38磅(約合1080克)重量以及超纖薄的外形即便在三年后的今天來看也絲毫不覺得過時。內部配置則略有升級。此前的單麥克風升級為雙麥克風,固態閃存的速度據說也比上一代產品提高了45%。硬件上的最大的變化無疑是處理器,全新的英特爾(Intel)第四代Haswell處理器也登臺亮相。 ????英特爾表示,Haswell處理器能有效降低能耗,同時大幅提高圖形處理能力,卻不會影響處理器的整體性能。Air使用了超低功率版Haswell(又稱ULT),型號包括1.3GHz雙核i5和1.7GHz雙核i7等。蘋果表示,新款產品的電池尺寸沒有變化。得益于新型處理器和其它節能技術的改進,新款Air的續航時間得以大幅延長。 ????在一周的時間里,新款11英寸MacBook Air的電池續航時間比老款長得多。老款Air可能運行三個小時就關機了,而今年這款省電型Air在同時運行多個任務的情況下——開了流媒體音樂試聽件 Spotify、通過Netflix Instant觀看了情景喜劇《發展受阻》(Arrested Development)一集22分鐘的劇集,還開著無線網絡且調亮了屏幕瀏覽網頁——平均續航時間約為5個半小時。而在情況相對簡單的情況下,比如只開著Safari瀏覽網頁,用谷歌(Google)Docs編輯文檔,同時將屏幕亮度調至3/4,Air的續航時間可長達8個半小時。 ????開啟應用程序、切換窗口以及觀看高清視頻的體驗都比之前更順暢,但小幅的速度提升很多人根本不會注意到。至于英特爾所宣稱的Haswell的圖形性能更佳?開著一部分花里胡哨的圖形功能玩第一人稱解謎游戲《傳送門2》(Portal 2)是沒問題,但假如把這些功能全部開啟,那就不行了。換言之,用戶倘若將上述設置維持在均衡狀態,就可以玩更高級的游戲了。 ????試用新款11英寸MacBook Air一周后,我確信,蘋果本次硬件升級雖然看起來微不足道,但光憑出色的電池續航時間就足以說服部分用戶升級或是首度購買MacBook Air。這款設備在日常使用中并未能實現9小時續航時間,但8.5小時的網頁瀏覽時間跟9小時已經相差無幾。雖然我希望蘋果能根據買家需要提供更高清屏幕的版本——目前1366×768的分辨率已經感覺開始有點不清晰了——但新款MacBook Air可謂瑕不掩瑜。它到底能不能算是商旅狂人的終極利器?考慮到它僅僅一千美元出頭的價格,似乎很難說出個“不”字。(財富中文網) ????譯者:項航 |
????With laptops, all-day battery life remains an elusive, almost mythic, thing. Because unless it's an HP (HPQ) laptop with a protruding 12-cell battery, reaching anywhere north of seven hours of use between charges is near-impossible. ????But the new MacBook Air models, announced at WWDC, are supposed to be exceptions: Apple (AAPL) rates the 13-inch model at 12 hours of battery life and the 11-incher at nine. That's four-plus hours more than before -- a potentially serious improvement. To suss out the claim, Apple loaned us an 11-inch unit stocked with a 1.3GHz dual-core i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of flash storage, a model that sells for $1,199. ????Little has changed on the outside. For newcomers, that should be just fine, since -- let's face it -- the Air's clean lines and 2.38 lb. waif-like frame are still nice to look at, even three years later. Inside, Apple has made small tweaks. There are now two microphones instead of one, and the flash-based storage is supposedly 45% faster. The biggest change in this otherwise minor hardware upgrade is the inclusion of one of Intel's (INTC) fourth-generation Haswell processors. ????With Haswell, Intel promises better energy savings and a serious graphics bump without trading performance. The Air has an ultra-low-power version of the chip, ranging from a 1.3 GHz dual-core i5 to an optional 1.7 GHz dual-core i7, called "ULT." Apple says the battery sizes in this year's models haven't changed. It's the new processor and its improved power-conserving ways that are responsible for better battery life. ????Over the course of a week, the 11-inch Air ran much longer before it needed to be plugged in. While the old Air might run three hours before shutting down, this year's power-sipping model averaged around 5.5 hours under a mix of conditions, like streaming Spotify, watching a 22-minute episode of Arrested Development from Netflix Instant (NFLX), and browsing the web with Wi-Fi on and brightness dialed up. Separately, when we kept things simple -- browsing the web with Safari, writing in Google (GOOG) Docs, brightness dimmed to 3/4 -- the Air managed an impressive 8.5 hours. ????Opening apps, toggling through windows, and watching high-definition video is a smoother experience than before, but the small speed bump isn't one many will notice. As for Intel's claim that Haswell offers better graphics performance? The first-person puzzle game Portal 2 was solid with some of the graphics bells and whistles turned on, but much less so when we tried everything on full throttle. In other words, expect more contemporary games to be playable, provided those settings are kept medium. ????A week with the new 11-inch MacBook Air has convinced me that Apple's hardware upgrade -- minor as it may seem -- will still be enough to convince some to upgrade or buy one for the first time based on excellent battery life alone. It doesn't achieve nine hours between charges with everyday use, but 8.5 hours of web browsing is pretty close. And while I wish Apple would offer a build-to-order option for a higher-resolution screen -- the current 1,366 x 768 resolution is really starting to feel cramped -- it's a small omission on an otherwise excellent device. The ultimate road warrior's notebook? For just over a grand, it's hard to argue otherwise. |