三年前苹果刚刚推出MacBook Air笔记本的时候，当时它的噱头是“世界上最薄的笔记本”。它的感观的确是赏心悦目，但是实用性略有不足。

    我自己也买了一台11寸吋的MacBook Air笔记本（价格999美元，1.6英特尔酷睿2处理器，2G内存，64G快闪储存）。这款11寸吋小本于去年10月推出，我非常喜欢它纤细的外观和轻薄的机身。它差不多比13寸吋的MacBook Pro笔记本轻了两磅多（0.91公斤）。比如上周起程赶赴《财富》科技头脑风暴科技峰大会（Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference）时，我想都没想不假思索就把它带在了身上。

    问题是，由于我的Air小本使用了老式的酷睿2处理器，因此它有的时候会喳喳咔咔作响。由于使用了闪存（也就是iPad和iPhone上使用的储存技术），因此应用程序打开得很快。如果我一次只处理一个任务，那么Air笔记本的表现还是可圈可点的。不过如果同时处理多个任务的话就会有些卡——比如一边看网页或写作，一边播放视频，或是载入有大量图片的网页。（值得注意的是，13寸吋的MacBook Air虽然采用了主频1.86GHz的酷睿2处理器，不过运行速度也算不上超快，但还是要比11寸吋的Air快一些稍快一点。）

    苹果上周升级了MacBook Air系列产品，新推出了四种硬件配置，改变了这种硬件不给力的状况。低配的11寸吋Air采用了主频为1.6GHz的双核i5处理器，2G内存，64G闪存。最高配置的13寸吋Air则采用了速度稍快一筹的1.7GHz处理器，内存和闪存都增加一倍。用户还可以选择扩展内存（仅限11寸吋版）、选用更快的处理器、扩展存储空间。这几款配置都采用了背光键盘这几款机型的标准配置重新回归背光键盘，这一点值得欢迎个配置为它吸引了不少回头客。（我们采访的一位苹果公司高管表示，消费者要求得最多的就是这款背光键盘。）

    新MacBook Air的外观与老款没有什么区别。铝合金外壳与去年10月的旧款一模一样。考虑到旧款已经如此轻薄，因此这也没什么可苛责的。新款相比老款主要是内部发生了变化。更加值得注意的是，现在这款Macbook Air是有史以来唯一一款1，000美元就能买到的苹果笔记本。白色版的MacBook可以安息了。（苹果已在逐步淘汰白色MacBook，现在白色MacBook只面向教育机构。）

    但是新款MacBook Air真的会是你的独一无二之选成为用户的唯一吗？

    我们决定找出这个问题的答案。为此我们的评测团队入手了一台11寸吋的Macbook Air，它搭载了一款主频1.6GHz的双核i5处理器，4GB内存，128GB闪存和一个Thunderbolt I/O端口。它安装的是苹果最新版的Lion操作系统，这个系统经过了一次重要的升级，在苹果iOS移动操作系统的影响下，引入引进了很多新的功能。

    在日常使用中，新一代Air给人的感觉的确就像一股清新的新鲜空气一样清爽。苹果公司称新Air的运行速度比老款快了两倍多。从我们自己的体验来看，新Air的表现的确有了重大的进步，不仅轻松击败了老款的11寸吋Air，甚至还要优于去年苹果主打的13寸吋MacBook Pro。

    像老款一样，新款Air打开应用程序的速度也很快，而且其“单任务处理”能力绝对不是问题。另外它哪怕打开了无数个窗口，同时播放高清晰度的流媒体视频，或是运行其它应用程序，也仍然可以轻松应付。为了好玩，我把它连到了一台外接显示器上，同时打开了几十个窗口中和标签，有Netflix Instant，有YouTube，也有Spotify、电子邮件和网站等——结果毫不费力。

    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.

    电池寿命和老款相比没什么变化。如果把WiFi、蓝牙和背光键盘都关掉，可以待机7个多小时。但是在更加真实的设置下，比如开着WiFi和蓝牙，开着较低的声音，把亮度调到中等亮度以上，那么实际可使用五个小时不到，这和苹果公司的官方估算基本一致。由于背光键盘大受欢迎，现在好几款笔记本上都安装了背光键盘，但它实际上牺牲了一小时的待机时间。不过如果没有这个背光键盘的话，大家就得在黑暗中笨手笨脚地找键位了，因此这种牺牲还是值得的。

    总之，11寸吋的新MacBook Air是一次称职的升级，也是一款出色的超便携产品。它的魅力和性能远远超出了一般人的日常所需。

    当然，要说明的是，这款笔记本也并非适合所有人。有些人仍然需要CD/DVD光驱，有的还要用到79美元的SuperDrive软驱。但是与3年前MacBook Air系列刚推出时相比，有这些需求的人已经明显少了许多。摄影发烧友们无疑还想要一个SD卡插槽，因为在大多数其他笔记本上（既包括苹果的笔记本，也包括其它品牌），SD卡插槽都是标配。还有一些人收藏了大量的影音资料，他们可能愿意额外掏出300美元，把闪存扩充到256GB，或是严重依赖基于云的服务，来扩大储存空间。对于这些人来说，这些额外设备可能会显著推高Air的价格，如果按照有些顾客的要求来配置，价格可能达到1，500美元以上。

    不管怎样，新老苹果用户们现在可以以1，000美元的价格，买到一款既赏心悦目、又能满足多任务处理需求的Mac笔记本了。这还是有史以来头一遭。

    译者：朴成奎

    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.