評測報告:新版MacBook Air值得購買!
????三年前蘋果剛剛推出MacBook Air筆記本的時候,當時它的噱頭是“世界上最薄的筆記本”。它的感觀的確是賞心悅目,但是實用性略有不足。 ????我自己也買了一臺11寸吋的MacBook Air筆記本(價格999美元,1.6英特爾酷睿2處理器,2G內存,64G快閃儲存)。這款11寸吋小本于去年10月推出,我非常喜歡它纖細的外觀和輕薄的機身。它差不多比13寸吋的MacBook Pro筆記本輕了兩磅多(0.91公斤)。比如上周起程趕赴《財富》科技頭腦風暴科技峰大會(Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference)時,我想都沒想不假思索就把它帶在了身上。 ????問題是,由于我的Air小本使用了老式的酷睿2處理器,因此它有的時候會喳喳咔咔作響。由于使用了閃存(也就是iPad和iPhone上使用的儲存技術),因此應用程序打開得很快。如果我一次只處理一個任務,那么Air筆記本的表現還是可圈可點的。不過如果同時處理多個任務的話就會有些卡——比如一邊看網頁或寫作,一邊播放視頻,或是載入有大量圖片的網頁。(值得注意的是,13寸吋的MacBook Air雖然采用了主頻1.86GHz的酷睿2處理器,不過運行速度也算不上超快,但還是要比11寸吋的Air快一些稍快一點。) ????蘋果上周升級了MacBook Air系列產品,新推出了四種硬件配置,改變了這種硬件不給力的狀況。低配的11寸吋Air采用了主頻為1.6GHz的雙核i5處理器,2G內存,64G閃存。最高配置的13寸吋Air則采用了速度稍快一籌的1.7GHz處理器,內存和閃存都增加一倍。用戶還可以選擇擴展內存(僅限11寸吋版)、選用更快的處理器、擴展存儲空間。這幾款配置都采用了背光鍵盤這幾款機型的標準配置重新回歸背光鍵盤,這一點值得歡迎個配置為它吸引了不少回頭客。(我們采訪的一位蘋果公司高管表示,消費者要求得最多的就是這款背光鍵盤。) ????新MacBook Air的外觀與老款沒有什么區別。鋁合金外殼與去年10月的舊款一模一樣。考慮到舊款已經如此輕薄,因此這也沒什么可苛責的。新款相比老款主要是內部發生了變化。更加值得注意的是,現在這款Macbook Air是有史以來唯一一款1,000美元就能買到的蘋果筆記本。白色版的MacBook可以安息了。(蘋果已在逐步淘汰白色MacBook,現在白色MacBook只面向教育機構。) ????但是新款MacBook Air真的會是你的獨一無二之選成為用戶的唯一嗎? ????我們決定找出這個問題的答案。為此我們的評測團隊入手了一臺11寸吋的Macbook Air,它搭載了一款主頻1.6GHz的雙核i5處理器,4GB內存,128GB閃存和一個Thunderbolt I/O端口。它安裝的是蘋果最新版的Lion操作系統,這個系統經過了一次重要的升級,在蘋果iOS移動操作系統的影響下,引入引進了很多新的功能。 ????在日常使用中,新一代Air給人的感覺的確就像一股清新的新鮮空氣一樣清爽。蘋果公司稱新Air的運行速度比老款快了兩倍多。從我們自己的體驗來看,新Air的表現的確有了重大的進步,不僅輕松擊敗了老款的11寸吋Air,甚至還要優于去年蘋果主打的13寸吋MacBook Pro。 ????像老款一樣,新款Air打開應用程序的速度也很快,而且其“單任務處理”能力絕對不是問題。另外它哪怕打開了無數個窗口,同時播放高清晰度的流媒體視頻,或是運行其它應用程序,也仍然可以輕松應付。為了好玩,我把它連到了一臺外接顯示器上,同時打開了幾十個窗口中和標簽,有Netflix Instant,有YouTube,也有Spotify、電子郵件和網站等——結果毫不費力。 |
????Billed as the "world's thinnest laptop" when it launched three years ago, Apple's (AAPL) MacBook Air always struck me as a notebook that was easy on the eyes but lacked muscle. ????I enjoyed the svelte look and featherweight status of my 11-inch MacBook Air ($999, 1.6 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 64 GB flash storage), launched last October. It was so light (more than two pounds less than the 13-inch MacBook Pro), I didn't have to think twice about toting it around Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference last week, for instance. ????Problem was, my Air chugged at times on account of its older Core 2 Duo processor. Applications launched quickly, thanks to flash memory (the same storage technology used in iPads and iPhones), and the Air performed admirably if I focused on one thing at a time. But when it came to multi-tasking, it struggled, stuttering loading graphics-heavy web pages or playing video while performing other tasks like web browsing or writing. (It's worth noting that the 13-inch MacBook Air, with its faster 1.86 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, wasn't a speed demon by any stretch, but was a tad faster.) ????That changed last week when Apple upgraded the MacBook Air line with four customizable hardware configurations, starting with the $999 11-incher -- sporting a 1.6 GHz dual-core i5 processor, 2 GB RAM, 64 GB flash storage -- and topping out at $1,599 for the 13-inch version with a slightly faster 1.7 GHz processor, twice the memory, and twice the storage. That model also has additional options for more RAM (for the 11-inch), a faster processor, and more storage. The backlit keyboard also makes a welcome return as a standard feature on all models. (An Apple executive we spoke with mentioned it was the most requested.) ????On the surface, it seems like an incremental upgrade. The aluminum case is identical to the design introduced last October. Given how slim and light it already was, this really isn't a bad thing. The changes reside within, and they're notable now more than ever since the MacBook Air is the only Mac notebook option available for $1000 -- R.I.P. white MacBook. (That model is now only available to educational institutions.) ????But, can the new MacBook Air really be your one-and-only? ????We decided to find out. Our 11-inch review unit came with a 1.6 GHz dual-core i5 processor, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB flash storage, a Thunderbolt I/O port, and the latest OS X, Lion, a significant software upgrade that introduces new features influenced by Apple's mobile operating system, iOS. ????In everyday use the Air was a breath of, well, fresh air. Apple claims it's more than twice as fast as the previous generation. Judging from my own experience, it is a major step up in performance. It handily outperformed its predecessor and even last year's decked-out 13-inch MacBook Pro. ????As with its predecessor, apps opened swiftly and "mono-tasking" wasn't a problem. Better yet, this model could actually juggle playing high-definition video streams with numerous windows open and other applications running at the same time. Just for kicks, I hooked it up to an external monitor, enabling dozens of windows and tabs simultaneously -- Netflix Instant, YouTube, Spotify, email, Web sites. Again, no sweat. |
背光鍵盤回歸
????電池壽命和老款相比沒什么變化。如果把WiFi、藍牙和背光鍵盤都關掉,可以待機7個多小時。但是在更加真實的設置下,比如開著WiFi和藍牙,開著較低的聲音,把亮度調到中等亮度以上,那么實際可使用五個小時不到,這和蘋果公司的官方估算基本一致。由于背光鍵盤大受歡迎,現在好幾款筆記本上都安裝了背光鍵盤,但它實際上犧牲了一小時的待機時間。不過如果沒有這個背光鍵盤的話,大家就得在黑暗中笨手笨腳地找鍵位了,因此這種犧牲還是值得的。 ????總之,11寸吋的新MacBook Air是一次稱職的升級,也是一款出色的超便攜產品。它的魅力和性能遠遠超出了一般人的日常所需。 ????當然,要說明的是,這款筆記本也并非適合所有人。有些人仍然需要CD/DVD光驅,有的還要用到79美元的SuperDrive軟驅。但是與3年前MacBook Air系列剛推出時相比,有這些需求的人已經明顯少了許多。攝影發燒友們無疑還想要一個SD卡插槽,因為在大多數其他筆記本上(既包括蘋果的筆記本,也包括其它品牌),SD卡插槽都是標配。還有一些人收藏了大量的影音資料,他們可能愿意額外掏出300美元,把閃存擴充到256GB,或是嚴重依賴基于云的服務,來擴大儲存空間。對于這些人來說,這些額外設備可能會顯著推高Air的價格,如果按照有些顧客的要求來配置,價格可能達到1,500美元以上。 ????不管怎樣,新老蘋果用戶們現在可以以1,000美元的價格,買到一款既賞心悅目、又能滿足多任務處理需求的Mac筆記本了。這還是有史以來頭一遭。 ????譯者:樸成奎 |
????Battery life hasn't changed much compared with the previous generation. With WiFi, Bluetooth, and that backlit keyboard all off, we got more than 7 hours. With more realistic settings -- WiFi and Bluetooth on, sound low, and the screen slightly above half brightness -- we got just under the five hours, in line with Apple's estimate. The backlit keyboard, a welcome feature that has since found its way into several PC notebooks, knocked that figure down by over an hour. It's a respectable sacrifice, though, considering the alternative is fumbling around in the dark. ????In the end, the 11-inch MacBook Air is a worthy update and an excellent ultraportable. It provides more than enough oomph to handle most people's everyday needs. ????There are, of course, caveats. Some people -- arguably fewer now than when the Air launched in 2008 -- may still need a CD/DVD drive and will have to opt for that $79 SuperDrive. Photo enthusiasts will no doubt wish it had an SD card slot, given that the majority of other notebooks -- PC and Mac -- come with one standard. Still others with vast music and photo collections may find themselves shelling out an extra $300 for the 256 GB-sized flash memory option or relying heavily on cloud-based services for additional storage. For those people, the extras will boost the Air's price significantly, well upwards of $1,500 for some custom configurations. ????Still, for the first time, veteran Mac users (and "switchers") can buy a notebook that doesn't just please the aesthetes but also the serious multi-taskers among us for just $1,000. |
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