The 11-inch MacBook Air is the best laptop I've ever owned

I've been meaning to write this article for about a month now, but with today's announcement of new MacBook Air machines from Apple, it couldn't be more timely.

If you're not familiar with the announcement, Apple has killed off its white MacBook and has made its new entry level laptop the MacBook Air for $999. Granted, it's a solid notebook for the price, but I wouldn't call it entry level, especially since its closest PC competition can be had for less than $500.

As for why I think it's the best laptop ever, there are a number of reasons. First off, when I initially saw the 11-inch MacBook Air, I figured it was more of a toy than a real machine. That all changed when I saw my colleague, Jonathan Stark, not only developing on it, but also using it to make an international Skype call, while sitting in my passenger seat on a long drive. Second, it can do some serious crunching. I've composed songs in Garageband, edited videos in iMovie, and regularly hook it up to my 22-inch Dell monitor for some extreme computing.

The best thing about it, though, is its portability and battery life. Not only can it last more than 5 hours on a single charge, but in my tests, with only 10 minutes of charge remaining, a simple hook to power for 30 minutes brings you 3 hours of computing fun again.

I really can't say enough great things about this laptop. All of the negatives that I expected were quickly turned to positives either by usage or by finding some workarounds. For example, if the screen size seems too small, just enlarge the font or change the screen resolution. It seems pretty obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people don't realize it's just one or two clicks away.

If you're in the market for a new laptop, take a close look at the MacBook Air 11-inch. It combines portability, ease of use, great battery life and price, and delivers a solid machine for the money.

Also, the upgrade announced today brings a faster processor, more storage space, a backlit keyboard, and more, all in the same form factor--amazing, not to mention that worst case, if 11-inch is too small, the 13-inch is just one click away. I had even toyed with upgrading, but for now, my less than two month old MacBook Air is more than enough.

Are you sporting a MacBook Air or about to pick up the new one? Share your comments below.