Does the Macbook Air run full, standalone versions of software or does it require special, streamlined apps?
I'm looking to buy a Macbook. Will the Macbook Air load and run full, unabridged versions of Mac-compatible software, such as what I already own, or does it require only special "apps" versions such as the iPad and iPhone do? I realize that the Macbook Air blurb states you can wirelessly use another Mac's drive to load software onto a MBA or buy an add-on drive to connect it up and load software but my question is the performance capability of the MBA to actually run full versions of ALL OS X Mac-compatible software.
The MacBook Air runs the identical operating system as any other Mac, and is subject to no arbitrary limitations imposed on the latest software, or by the latest software.
The only remaining factor is hardware. All Mac software has it's own individual requirements for the system, that being the speed of the processor, the amount of memory, the type of graphics processor required, etc. Some select software, say intense game apps, will not run very well or at all on the MBA, and it simply the lack of a system's component compatibility of performance. But this is a factor present in all computers, nothing special about the MacBook Air.
So, as long as the hardware is sufficient for the system requirements of the software, you can install and use any full version app designed for OS X Lion.
Similar Messages
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Do I go with the MacBook pro or the MacBook air? I'm going into 8th grade and were required to have labtop. I Also edit videos for my YouTube chanel. Which should I get 13 inch model.
MacBook Air: thin, light, fast SSD storage. Cons: not upgradable, expensive.
MacBook Pro: cheaper, upgradable, better graphics card, more storage and RAM for the buck. Cons: not as light
you'll get more for the money with the MacBook Pro. the Air is better as a second computer for people. -
Does the MacBook Air run CS5 Design Premium?
Hi, I really want to get the MacBook Air for school, and I really want to get Design Premium for personal reasons. So, I went to find the specs for the MacBook Air 1.6ghz (1st gen) and found everything to match the requirements, except I am unsure about the video card. I know the newest models (1.86ghz and 2.13ghz) will work, but I want to purchase mine used to save money, as it will only be a temporary computer. If you can, please help me by answering the following question:
Will the MacBook Air (1.6ghz 1st gen) run CS5 Design Premium?
Thanks!
p.s. If it does not, please (if you can) tell me which of the models (1.8 (1st gen), 1.86 (2nd gen), 2.13 (2nd gen)) will Design Premium work well onI looking to make a website, create pictures (3D) using Photoshop Extended, and some other small things. Will the MacBook Air 1.6ghz suffice?
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HT1222 i have a 2010 later version of the MacBook Air, do you recommend mountain lion?
I have a 2010 later version of the MacBook Air running Mac OS X 10.6.8. Should I upgrade to the Mountain Lion 10.7?
Mountain Lion is 10.8 and only costs about $20. You can bypass 10.7.
Third party apps may need updating or upgrading as Snow Leopard is the last OS to support PPC apps. -
I recently updated to the newest version of Flash (17.0.0.134) and I have a MacBook Air, running OS X and I have Safari version 8.0.4. Ever since the update I can no longer select drop down menus or get Netflix to run properly. Has anyone else had this issue/know how to resolve it?
1. System Preferences > Flash Player > Advanced > Delete All
Press “Delete All” button under “Browsing Data and Settings”.
2. Install Adobe Flash Player.
System Preferences > Flash Player > Updates
Press the “Check Now” button.
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
Download it and quit Safari from Safari menu in the menu bar.
Follow the prompts to install Adobe Flash Player. -
Hi, I'm having issues with my airdrop. I have looked in my finder perfrences and didn't see the check box for airdrop. I have a macbook air running on 10.9.4 Mavericks. Does anyone know how to get my airdrop back? Thanks.
Mac Basics: AirDrop lets you send files from your Mac to nearby Macs and iOS devices - Apple Support
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Problem description:
My Macbook air runs very slow since installed Yosemite a few days ago
EtreCheck version: 2.0.6 (91)
Report generated October 24, 2014 at 12:07:13 GMT+3
Hardware Information: ℹ️
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012) (Verified)
MacBook Air - model: MacBookAir5,2
1 2 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 2-core
8 GB RAM Not upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported
Wireless: en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
Intel HD Graphics 4000 -
Color LCD 1440 x 900
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.10 (14A389) - Uptime: 0:15:57
Disk Information: ℹ️
APPLE SSD SM256E disk0 : (251 GB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
Macintosh HD (disk1) / [Startup]: 249.77 GB (28.85 GB free)
Core Storage: disk0s2 250.14 GB Online
USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/Applications/Parallels Access.app
[loaded] com.parallels.virtualsound (1.0.27 27 - SDK 10.6) Support
/Applications/Parallels Desktop.app
[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.hidhook (9.0 24251.1052177) Support
[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.hypervisor (9.0 24251.1052177) Support
[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.netbridge (9.0 24251.1052177) Support
[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.usbconnect (9.0 24251.1052177) Support
[not loaded] com.parallels.kext.vnic (9.0 24251.1052177) Support
/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv (4.2.4) Support
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetAdp (4.2.4) Support
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetFlt (4.2.4) Support
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB (4.2.4) Support
Startup Items: ℹ️
VirtualBox: Path: /Library/StartupItems/VirtualBox
Startup items are obsolete and will not work in future versions of OS X
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[invalid?] com.cisco.anyconnect.gui.plist Support
[invalid?] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support
[running] com.parallels.mobile.prl_deskctl_agent.launchagent.plist Support
[invalid?] com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist Support
[invalid?] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist Support
[loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist Support
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
[running] com.cisco.anyconnect.vpnagentd.plist Support
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support
[invalid?] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support
[running] com.parallels.mobile.dispatcher.launchdaemon.plist Support
[loaded] com.parallels.mobile.kextloader.launchdaemon.plist Support
[loaded] com.teamviewer.Helper.plist Support
[invalid?] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist Support
[loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist Support
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
[running] com.microsoft.LaunchAgent.SyncServicesAgent.plist Support
[running] com.parallels.mobile.startgui.launchagent.plist Support
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist Support
User Login Items: ℹ️
iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Moveslink2 Application (/Applications/Moveslink2.app)
Quicksilver Application (/Applications/Quicksilver.app)
Google Drive Application (/Applications/Google Drive.app)
Google Chrome ApplicationHidden (/Applications/Google Chrome.app)
Dropbox UNKNOWN (missing value)
EvernoteHelper Application (/Applications/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/EvernoteHelper.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.1.3 - SDK 10.6 Support
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.189 - SDK 10.6 Support
Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.189 - SDK 10.6 Support
Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 3.0.0.126 - SDK 10.8 Support
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
User Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 Support
Safari Extensions: ℹ️
AdBlock
OpenIE
Facebook Photo Zoom
Translate
1-ClickWeather
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
Flash Player Support
Flip4Mac WMV Support
Time Machine: ℹ️
Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
7% WindowServer
1% fontd
1% Google Drive
0% Microsoft Database Daemon
0% AppleSpell
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
180 MB Google Drive
86 MB mds_stores
86 MB SyncServicesAgent
86 MB Google Chrome
86 MB Finder
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
2.25 GB Free RAM
2.84 GB Active RAM
2.56 GB Inactive RAM
936 MB Wired RAM
3.88 GB Page-ins
74 KB Page-outsYou have nearly run out of disk space. Either purchase a larger one or start cleaning out the one you have?
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Does anybody knows how to install Windows 7 from a USB drive on 2010 MacBook Air running Lion?
Does anybody knows how to install Windows 7 from a USB drive on 2010 MacBook Air running Lion?
Tell my wife that!
This is the best I can do. This way you can use the 2011 MBA way to do things.
Look for the post from @jacktourist. (on page 2 about half way down) This seems to be the easiest.
There are a couple of more similar to this with pictures I've seen around but can't remember where.
Here's another search with added info. It's easier then it sounds. -
Hello, I have purchased and installed Lightroom 5 on my Mac Desktop. I travel with a MacBook Air and would like to have Lightroom 5 on this device as well. The MacBook Air does not have a CD/DVD slot. How do I get Lightroom 5 on my MacBook Air so I can use it while travelling?
Adobe - Lightroom : For Macintosh
Just download and install 5.7.1. Don't worry about earlier versions.
You'll need to enter your serial number to license the software. -
My MacBook Air running on Snow Leopard gets extremely slow (almost like a hang, except if you wait about half an hr, it actually moves) after login interface. Sometimes it never gets past the background of the homepage, desktop doesn't seem to load. After multiple forced shut downs and left to run for hours, sometimes the desktop loads but the dock does not respond when applications are opened. The computer is then unable to shut down normally. Forced shut downs are necessary most times. Time machine backup takes extremely long, and attempts to use the time machine to bring the laptop back to the time befiore the problem arose was met with extremely slow and hung time machine function.
Please help!There isn't much besides a failing hard drive or other hardware fault that can cause those symptoms. Run the Apple Hardware Test, or just take it to an Apple Store for testing.
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I just bought the os 10.7 lion, so I want to install that in my macbook air running os 10.6.8. How can I do that?
Make sure your system is compatible:
To use Lion, make sure your computer has the following:
Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
Find out if your current Mac has one of these processors by clicking the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, then choosing About This Mac.
OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
Get up to date with the latest version of OS X Snow Leopard to purchase OS X Lion. If you have Snow Leopard, click the Apple icon and choose Software Update to install version 10.6.8.
If you are running OS X Snow Leopard you may purchase OS X Lion for $19.99 by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE. You will receive an email containing a content code to download OS X Lion via the Mac App Store.
If you're running OS X Leopard, you need to upgrade to OS X Snow Leopard prior to upgrading to OS X Lion. OS X Snow Leopard is available via DVD for $19.99 by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE.
7GB of available disk space
2GB of RAM
Apple - Support - Lion - Installation and Recovery
Follow Instructions:
OS X Lion Installation Guides -
How well does a Macbook pro and a Macbook air run Xcode, Photoshop and Dreamweaver?
How well does a Macbook pro and a Macbook air run Xcode, Photoshop and Dreamweaver?
MacBook Pro - no problem, it is an extremely popular computer for running that software. Just look at the Adobe demo videos of their products, most of the time you can see a MacBook Pro running the software in their video.
MacBook Air - should be just as good most of the time.
However, if you get involved in heavy Photoshop work like highly stacked layers/masks/channels, 16 bits per channel or up, or merging HDR or panoramas, the MacBook Pro may be better because it can take 16GB RAM while the MacBook Air can take only 8GB RAM.
Also, if you are going to do serious programming in XCode or Dreamweaver, you may find the MacBook Air screen to be too small for all of the code windows and tool palettes that you may want to open and arrange in those programs. The 15" Retina screen of the MacBook Pro will let you spread out your work and do less window switching. The 11/"13" MacBook Air screens are both smaller and non-Retina so not as sharp.
Even Photoshop is nicer on the 15" MacBook Pro because of the extra screen space for the image with less intrusion by the tool palettes.
In short, if you are a casual user the MacBook Air will be great. If you are a professional with a heavy workload the MacBook Pro may be more efficient overall due to the larger screen and higher RAM capacity. -
Does "windows on a mac" work on the macbook air?
Does "windows on a mac" work on the macbook air? because watching the video, is says somthing about an installation disk. Many thanks
Hi pglhi,
You can absolutely install Windows onto your MacBook Air. There's two ways to do it:
1.) Using BootCamp
2.) Using virtualization software
If you use BootCamp it natively installs the Windows operating system on a portion of your hard drive that you partition as a dedicated Windows environment. You typically want to allow about 15-20 GB for this at a minimum but your mileage may vary.
With virtualization software you run Windows from within the OS X environment, using a program like Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion, etc. So you'd launch the Windows OS just like you'd start up a program. Because you're virtualizing the environment you're also "double dipping" into system resources. So the RAM and CPU usage that WIndows would be allocated is in addition to what's already being used by OS X. As such it can be a bit more demanding than a Boot Camp environment.
But the MacBook Air can handle both, just fine. If you do go the route of Boot Camp you'll need an external CD/DVD drive - or - have USB drive configured to support the Windows installation environment. -
Does the MacBook Air power extension cord work with 230v?
Hello,
I understand that the MagSafe power adapter supplied with the MacBook Air is compatible with an overseas input of up to 230v, as printed on the adapter itself. However, the extension cord supplied with the laptop states 125v. Furthermore, even the small plug connected at the end of the adapter states an input of 125v. Does this mean that the plug and the extension cord are incompatible overseas at 230v, but the adapter is? Then, how must I connect a MacBook Air to a 230v outlet? I do have an outlet converter that does not transform voltage. Thank you for your support.
(The adapter states it is compatible with 100v-240v, however, the circled plug is only compatible with 125v.)
MukundYes, for the most part...
If you get the AC in-cord to the Adapter with your regional plug on it,
then the need for any other shape-converter or plug kit would vanish.
Here's an example of the Apple (UK) world traveler kit for power adapters:
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MB974ZM/B/apple-world-travel-adapter-kit
The part number (less UK) would be similar across all Apple Stores online
& regional stores should have them in stock to match local/traveler shapes.
Another example of regional parts with local plug ends, otherwise automatic
conversion built-in, can be seen among these UK Apple Store items. {The US
store has the local ones for North America; the AU store, for there, etc.}
http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_accessories/all_accessories/charging_ devices
(You should be able to buy the Apple AC cord, for a MacBook/Air/Pro power
adapter, in the region where you hope to use it. -- Better to have the whole
device, in case you don't find an Apple Store or authorized reseller w/ Cords.)
Other stores with the generic end-fit shape adapter w/o power conversion
may be found in major cities near airports or border points. Luggage stores
and travel accessories, or a travel outdoor outfitter, such as REI, Inc.
And then, there are those kits with a power conversion adapter & transformer
inside; these should not be necessary with any Apple product that has a near
universal automatic AC power switching capability built into it. You can get a
local regional AC power cord with the local plug affixed, or use a basic kit.
Each online regional Apple Store sales pages show these kinds of products
with their local power plug version, so it is possible to buy the replacement
AC cord with the correct local plug on it. No further modifications necessary.
{Another device that won't do much good, if you can't adapt, is a DC-to-DC
adapter; this would need to have a MagSafe cord on the exit (output) end
so as to avoid the MagSafe adapter altogether. Such as on a boat or a train
where you may find no AC power, only DC. Uncommon, but possible.}
Good luck & happy computing! -
hi, does anybody know when apple will put the new i5 or i7 processors in the macbook air's
No one knows for sure nor can we discuss future Apple products here. It's against the TOS.
17" 2.2GHz i7 Quad-Core MacBook Pro 8G RAM 750G HD + OCZ Vertex 3 SSD Boot HD
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