We also suspect that the new Core i5 processor may be the reason why the new Air didn't last as long as the older model in our light usage battery life test. It lasted just under ten hours our test, which is still impressive, but the older model lasted over 13 hours. The Core i5 2557M has a TDP of 17W compared to just 10W for the Core 2 Duo SL9400 used in the now discontinued older model. Still, ten hours is nothing to sneeze at and should be long enough for a working day.
One new feature we're not surprised to see is the Thunderbolt port which is rapidly spreading to all of Apple's Mac computers. We're eager to try out this blazing fast new port technology, but five months after its first appearance there are still no compatible peripherals available. We hope this will change soon, but in the meantime the port can still be used to connect monitors using adapters which sadly aren't included in the box.
