MacBook Air 2010

• Both the 11-inch and the 13-inch models are incredibly slim. We have seen some slim laptops before but none of them came close to matching the MacBook Air when it comes to thickness, or the lack thereof.
• The 11-inch model is almost as big as the iPad when closed. Carrying it around in your hand almost feels like carrying a notebook (and we mean of the paper kind), although way cooler.
• The build quality is phenomenal, especially for something so slim. You can hold the MacBook Air by its edge and there is no flex in the body or any creaks. This is as solid as it gets.
• Both the machines are very light and you would barely feel their weight if you put it in a bag. This coupled with their small size makes them a brilliant ultra-portable notebook.
• Both the models come with a full-size keyboard, the same as the one on the bigger MacBook Pro models that are extremely comfortable to type on. Only problem is that they aren't backlit, which would make typing difficult in the dark.
• The multi-touch trackpads are brilliant and as we have always said, the best trackpad on any notebook out there.
• The displays on both the models are incredibly crisp and bright and look great.
• Performance on the 11-inch model, despite the modest hardware, was more than sufficient. We had an HD movie running in the background, Safari with several open tabs and working in iPhoto 11 and the machine was still chugging along smoothly. The 13-inch model was noticeably faster and on par with the base MacBook Pro model. For such a slim machine the performance is impressive. Also don't forget this is supposed to be an ultra-portable notebook that is not meant to do heavy-duty stuff. You have the MacBook Pro for that.
• The speakers on both the machines were surprisingly loud, especially on the 13-inch models. You can hear a good amount of bass, which was astonishing for such a slim machine. And even though the speakers are below the keyboard, you get a great stereo effect.
• We rebooted both the machines to see how fast they boot up with the Flash storage on-board. Although they don't come on instantly, it took about fifteen seconds from pressing the power button to reaching the desktop, which is pretty good. This was almost twice as fast as a MacBook Pro and miles ahead of any Windows-running notebook out there.

In the end we came out highly impressed with both the machines and left copious amount of drool on the 11-inch model. The price might seem high initially but after spending some time with it we can tell you that it is well worth it. The machines look great, feel great, have more than enough grunt for use on-the-go and have the flaunt value of a Lamborghini Gallardo.

The 11-inch model was our personal favorite because of its size that is just right for an ultra-portable. For those comparing it with netbooks, please understand that it is not fair to do so. Not because it is more expensive but because none of the netbooks even come close to matching it in terms of sheer awesomeness. If you can' t wait for the full review, do note that we are far more impatient to write one.