11 Comments

Goodbye You Wretched MacBook Air

June 26, 2008 by in Random with 11 Comments

It’s no secret that I love Apple hardware. I think Apple hardware has superior construction and to have a brand that has retail locations I can walk to and drop off an ailing machine really appeals to me.

But before you call me a rabid fan boi, I also have carried PC’s and used Windows exclusively for a span of two years. When a unit is a lemon, its a lemon! Thats what I have here.

Scanning forums it seems Apple’s MacBook Air is plagued with problems ranging from extreme heat issues, failing hard drives, core shutdowns, poor wireless reception and poor case construction.

I have been dealing with issues with this portable since half my keyboard decided to stop work, the wireless reception is terrible at best when you but a strain on it and the heat this unit throws off is unacceptably hot. Don’t get me started on the joke of a battery life.

I must say that my first impression of the MBA was very favorable, it quickly became one of my favorite machines, but when the honeymoon ended I have a less then functional portable workstation. It’s the price you pay for first generation hardware. I anxiously await a second generation hardware revision – but until that point the Air has made it to the list of 5 worst machines I have ever owned.

Wonder if anyone wants to share their pains when their hardware starts failing on them?


  • chad

    I almost bought one… good thing I held out ;)

  • Rich

    I have an Air and have none of those problems. I love it. Wifi is great, battery acceptable, no shutdowns or overheating. In fact, I notice very little performance degradation from using my other Macbook Pro 2.33.

    If you scan the forums for any device, you’ll find people having problems with it. Sorry to hear you got a lemon, but if it were me, I’d keep getting replacements until I got a good one.

  • Kris

    “I’d keep getting replacements until I got a good one.” I find that an unacceptable choice. when you have to continualy send in a product because you keep getting lemons. The idea is not to sell a product that works 5 out of 10 times. The mac book air being top of the line if you will, should not be a total flaw! if you have to send in more than one and have it replaced then in my eyes its poor manufacturing and enginerring let alone testing.

  • Rich

    KRIS: I wasn’t implying that MBA’s fail that much. I have no idea how much they fail. I’m on my first one, and it’s been working great for months. The MBA has been the top selling Mac system since it’s release (see “Top Sellers” in store.apple.com), so the vast majority are surely working.

  • Chowder

    Good rule of thumb…never buy the first generation of anything…this includes small children…

  • Jerry

    “I’d keep getting replacements until I got a good one.”
    Wow. I’d move on.

  • chad

    btw…. we have a $97,000.00 (and some change) High Performance Cisco Fiber Switch in our data center suite at work… and Cisco had to send out new $10,000.00 “blade” to put in it because one failed.

    Just goes to show, nothings perfect ;)

    http://h30094.www3.hp.com/product.asp?sku=2960791&jumpid=ex_r2910_CIGB

  • Jerry

    Wow what a piece of junk. Classic Apple… Screw the early adopters.

  • Per-Erik Broz

    Kinda glad I bought the Macbook. I want an Air, but with more an more posts like this one – I will wait for the 2nd gen.

  • RP

    I bought one of the first generation macbooks when they first came out and was plagued with problems for that.
    Unexpected shutdowns (caused apparently by a stripped wire inside which expands in the heat and shorts the computer out), the hard-drive died and I had to replace it, not the superdrive won’t read DVDs because of some firmware update apple released.
    Always wait until the next revisions come out…

  • RP

    Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I work at a college and we bought 12 of the macbooks when they first came out. I have since had to change 8 hard drives, have 3 of them replaced, have 2 disk drives replaced, and now one of them has started melting in the corner where the power plugs in.

Privacy Policy | About Us | Contact Us | Write for us