What are the "pros and cons" of the "Mid-2012" MacBook Air models? Is one the right Apple notebook for my needs?

Like any other purchase, only you can make the decision whether or not a "Mid-2012" MacBook Air model is the right notebook for you, but you can evaluate the pros and cons of the series to see if your needs are met by one model or the other. EveryMac.com also provides a detailed comparison of the two models that may be of interest.

For those most interested in the highlights, this "run down" may be helpful in making a decision:

Pros:

• Very lightweight, beautiful, thin case designs.
• Respectable speed, often due to flash storage. Can often hold their own compared to the "Mid-2012" 13-Inch MacBook Pro models.
• LED-backlit widescreen displays that are relatively high-resolution for the physical dimensions (1440x900 for the 13-Inch model).
• Essentially full-size keyboards despite compact system dimensions.
• Full featured "inertial" multi-touch trackpad.
• Generally excellent battery life.
• Two USB 3.0 ports.
• SD Card reader (13-Inch models only).
• Backlit keyboard.
• Thunderbolt port provides the option of high speed peripherals as well as support for two external displays up to 2560x1600.
• Relatively affordable -- the 11-Inch models start at US$999.

Cons:

• RAM cannot be upgraded after purchase (either model can be upgraded to 8 GB of RAM at the time of purchase only).
• Modest internal storage that is not intended to be upgraded by an end user.
• Battery is not easy to access or replace and is not intended to be replaced by an end user.
• No internal Ethernet (a Gigabit Ethernet adapter is available via Thunderbolt).
• No Firewire.
• No internal optical drive (external option available).
• New MagSafe 2 power connector requires adapter (MD504ZM/A) to use with an LED Cinema Display, Thunderbolt Display, or earlier MagSafe power adapter.
• Upgrades (additional RAM and storage) and accessories (optical drive) can make the MacBook Air more expensive than alternatives should a user need these additions.

So, is one right for my needs?

Basically, if you are looking for a beautiful, lightweight notebook Mac and you do not care about future upgrades, then the MacBook Air might be the perfect system for you. Performance is solid for those who do not do demanding tasks while on the go (like high-end video editing and encoding) and with two USB 3.0 ports, connectivity also is unlikely to be an issue for most consumers.

In general, the 11-Inch display -- although high-resolution for its physical size -- still is rather limiting and most who do more than basic multitasking likely would prefer a 13-Inch model as the difference between the two in size and weight is unlikely to be enough to be critical for most. The 13-Inch model also is a bit faster (around 8%) and has better battery life and an SDXC Card slot.

However, for those who only do fairly simple tasks on the go -- word processing, e-mail, web browsing, listening to music, and basic photo editing, for example -- or who are looking for a lightweight "companion" notebook to complement a desktop Mac, the 11-Inch model could be perfect. If price is important, then the 11-Inch model is less expensive as well (although a used MacBook or MacBook Air would be cheaper, still).

If performance, connectivity and expansion are high priorities -- but size and weight are lower priorities -- a MacBook Pro would be a better choice. If price is a high priority, a used MacBook Air also could be a worthwhile option.

Site sponsor PowerMax sells new and used 11-Inch and 13-Inch MacBook Air models free of sales tax.