MacBook Air (11 inch, Mid 2011)

Notes

Architecture Details:

• CPU:64-bit
• EFI: 64-bit
• Graphics: 64-bit
• Onboard RAM: 2 GB or 4 GB

OS Support:

• Shipped: OS X Lion 10.7 GM
• Maximum: Current OS X
• Windows: 7 (32/64), 8 (64)

History:
The fifth edition Airs released in 2011 were seen by the tech press as a HUGE step forward for Cupertino; after all, even the comparably-equipped earlier models were being held aloft by specs that were closing in on two years old. This was primarily due to Apple not wanting to give up on the NVIDIA chipsets as the first-generation i Series CPU's trickled out; and, thanks to a protracted battle between Intel and NVIDIA over NVIDIA's rights to design chipsets for Intel (the two had a deal in '06), NVIDIA was only allowed to design chipsets for the Core2 family and not around newer CPU's. On this, NVIDIA exited the computer chipset business entirely, leaving Apple and others in a lurch of sorts. Apple thus started anew with Intel, whose second-gen chips were ready and willing to serve. Dubbed "Sandy Bridge," the i-series CPU's were now being built for both performance and power efficiency—even in situations where a Core2 was once perceived as the better chip for any given application.

The 2011 Airs introduce Thunderbolt to the line, five months from its debut on the MacBook Pros, offering the same 10 Gbps bi-directional link.

These computers are also notable as being the first with Internet Recovery built-in by default.

They are also the first of the Air series to be certified for Windows 8 under Boot Camp 5.