with a macbook air you get a full featured operating system in a lightweight form factor. how cool is that? i never realized it until i got a macbook air. i was leaning towards an ipad or another tablet but finally i chose the mba. i chose it because it's got not just a stripped down version of Apple OS, but a desktop-grade system. meaning, you can do multitasking better. you have a file management system. and everything you've been accustomed to in a desktop PC or a laptop.

well, everything but an optical disc drive. it's a small problem though. who uses a CD nowadays anyways. it's a small thing but would have been a nice option to have. in any case, if the lack of an optical disc drive would translate to a laptop this light, i'd take it. i'd be fine withtout an ODD. i guess i could always get an external disc drive.

as for performance, the macbook air lives up to its promise of battery life. i find it surprising that even with a full OS and nice powerful graphics, my macbook air still records 4 hours or so of operating time. compared to the ipads and to the macbooks this is laughable. but for an ultraportable? this is the best in its class.

So far, so good. Nice PC. Very fast and easy to use. Was able to transfer over all my files and docs. Took a while to get PC but machine looks brand new!

One line reaction: I'm thrilled with this MacBook Pro and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I'm retired but we have a small business for which I do the record keeping. Due to problems with one hip, I have not been able to sit at my desk long enough to get my work done. I bought this laptop so I could work from my recliner in the family room. With the WiFi network we set up using an Apple base station, this laptop has been exactly what I wanted.

I considered getting a MacBook Air because of its light weight but decided its screen would be too small. I also considered a MacBook Pro with a 17 inch screen but was concerned about the added weight. Though smaller than my 21 inch iMac, the 15 inch Pro works fine since I don't usually have more than a couple of programs running at the same time. I have no problems reading the screen, even without my reading glasses. The whole thing is a bit heavy but since it sits right by my chair, I don't have to carry it around. (I have ordered a padded carrying bag for the future when I'm mobile again.)

The laptop also is just as fast as my Intel iMac (Core i3 running at 3.03 mhz) including accessing the internet via the wireless network. I have even watched several TV programs from an internet site with no reduction in quality or interruptions due to downloading. Someone who uses a laptop more intensively than I do might want to max out the RAM; so far 4GB has been plenty for me.

The SuperDrive was an add-on to the base unit but I'm glad I spent the extra money because it has made loading programs and music from CDs a snap. I can also watch DVDs when I'm tired of working.

I can't comment on battery life because so far I have plugged it into a wall socket. The cable that comes with the power brick is long enough to reach my chair easily, and connecting it to the battery charger unit was simple and easy.

Like any laptop it does get hot after a while but I found a heat absorbing pad that makes it comfortable to use for several hours at a time.

Getting used to the Lion operating system hasn't been hard, though I miss a couple of the older programs I am still able to run on the iMac using Snow Leopard. Getting used to the track pad had been harder since this is the first one I've had to deal with, but I'm getting the hang of it without much trouble.

The only other thing I miss is an extended keyboard, since I'm used to using the number pad, but being forced to use the numbers on the regular keyboard is improving my typing.

Bottom line: If you can handle the 5 lbs., this is a great alternative to a desktop unit. I wish I had had an excuse to get one sooner.