The MacBook Air is designed to run safely in closed lid mode, but if yours runs hot (perhaps due to overclocking or high ambient temperatures), you may want to open the lid when in closed lid mode: The screen will remain off and the computer will more readily vent heat from the CPU. Since all video RAM is now dedicated to the external monitor, you may have more colors available at higher resolutions.
The built-in display will remain off, and the external monitor will become your only display. Your ‘Book will go to sleep, but you can wake it by moving the mouse or using the keyboard. Power up your ‘Book until the desktop appears on the external display and then close the lid.
To used closed lid mode, your ‘Book must be plugged into the AC adapter and connected to an external display and a USB or Bluetooth mouse and keyboard (you might also want to consider external speakers). Cost to have Apple replace the 37 Watt-hour battery out of warranty is $129.Ĭlosed Lid Mode: All Intel ‘Books support “lid closed” (or clamshell) mode, which leaves the built-in display off and dedicates all video RAM to an external display. Like the iPod and iPhone, it does not have an easily replaceable battery. The MacBook Air is available only with an 18-bit glossy display (not the 24 bits you might expect). And the MBA no longer has a backlit keyboard. There’s no built-in ethernet port if you need ethernet, Apple sells a USB 2.0 ethernet adapter for $29.
Rather than include an install DVD, Apple now ships the MBA with a USB software reinstall drive.Ī few things are missing. The MBA has no built-in optical drive, but you can add an external USB 2.0 SuperDrive (only compatible with the MacBook Air) for a new low price of US$79. The Late 2010 MacBook Air models are the first to officially support macOS Sierra.įor those who need or want a faster CPU, 1.8 GHz is a build-to-order option for the 128 GB SSD model.īest of all, Apple has trimmed prices, so you can now get a MacBook Air for as little as $999. In light of FaceTime coming to the Mac, Apple has renamed the built-in webcam, formerly called iSight, as a FaceTime camera.įor the first time ever, you can expand RAM from the stock 2 GB, with 4 GB as the 2010 MBA’s new maximum (a $100 build-to-order option – and only available at time of purchase). Apple has introduced a new native screen resolution of 1366 x 768, which is more horizontal pixels than Apple used on its previous MBAs but less vertically (earlier MBAs had 1280 x 800 displays). Peripheral users will rejoice over this news: The 2010 revision has two USB 2.0 ports (one on each side), a huge improvement over the single USB port in previous editions. Battery life is rated at “up to” 5 hours. Apple claims this makes its SSDs twice as fast as conventional ones. Solid-state drives (SSD) are standard across the board – and they’re built right onto the motherboard. Say good-bye to hard drives with the 2010 models of the MacBook Air (MBA).
However, during the installation process, I learned that Linux Mint has a nice built-in Driver Manager that provides an easy graphical user interface to assist with installing the software.With the new 11.6″ form factor and the lowest speed CPU ever used in an Intel-based Mac, the smaller version of the 2010 MacBook Air enters netbook territory – but with a dual-core processor, a real graphics processor, better screen resolution, a full-size keyboard, and support for up to 4 GB of memory. From prior research, I knew that to get the wireless adapter working on this MacBook, I would need to issue three separate commands in the Bash terminal. I had a hard-wired Ethernet connection to the internet through my Thunderbolt adapter, so I was online. This is in contrast to Intel, Atheros, and many other chip manufacturers-but it's the chipset used by Apple, so it's a common problem on MacBooks. This is because Broadcom, the company that makes WiFi cards for Apple devices, doesn't release open source drivers. Linux Mint started up nicely in live-boot mode, but the operating system didn't recognize a wireless connection. I powered on the system and pressed the Option key on the MacBook to instruct it to start it from a USB drive. Next, I connected the Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter to the MacBook and inserted the USB boot drive.
Free online course: RHEL Technical Overview.