Why my next laptop will be a MacBook Air

The new MacBook Air notebooks from Apple have the attention of a lot of folks, and rightly so. The new Air epitomizes what mobile computers should be, thin and light for maximum portability, yet augmented with outstanding performance and battery life capable of lasting a typical work day. The MacBook Air meets all of these needs, and comes bundled with the first operating system designed to optimize the user experience on notebooks. All of these features combine to produce the notebook that will be my next purchase.

I'm not ready to jump yet which is purely a financial matter. But before long I will be ordering a 13-inch MacBook Air from Apple that will become my primary computer. I will use the Air in the same way I use my old MacBook, as a standalone notebook on the go and a desktop replacement in my office. When my finances permit I will likely get the new Thunderbolt powered Cinema Display to turn the MacBook Air into a full desktop system.

The 11-inch Air is very tempting given its highly portable size. Even so, I will go with the larger model to get just a bit more screen real estate to display a little more information. I also like the additional two hours of claimed battery life of the 13-inch Air, an important criteria for a mobile computer.

I have only used OS X Lion for a day but it is already the best operating system I have used on a notebook. The many features that Apple have developed to make it easy to deal with multiple programs on small screens have already proven their worth to me. I have even gotten used to the new natural scrolling, which is backwards to everything else. It all works wonderfully on the large MacBook trackpad, and will work just as well on the Air.

I will certainly pay more for the MacBook Air than I would a notebook from one of Apple's competitors, but in the end it will be worth it. I will be able to get more done and with less trouble, and that is worth the extra cost to me.

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CNET coverage:

• White MacBook discontinued
• Photos: New MacBook, Mini
• Mac OS X Lion pounces
• Screenshots: OS X Lion
• Review: Lion, a worthy upgrade
• First Thunderbolt display