The latest batch of 11.6-inch Apple MacBook Air laptops includes some that feature faster solid state drives (SSDs) than earlier SSD-only models that began shipping last fall, according to AnandTech.
The first new MacBook Airs to appear in October 2010 following Apple's refresh of the product line used use Toshiba's 128GB Blade X-gale SSDs. But about a month ago, some MacBook Air laptops began to appear using a different 128GB SSD with faster sequential read and write speeds that AnandTech recently concluded was likely made by Samsung.
The Toshiba SSDs (model number TS128C) can hit speeds of up to 210MB/s read and 185MB/s write in benchmarking conducted by the site. The newly appearing SSDs (model number SM128C) have performed a good deal better in user benchmarks cited by AnandTech, managing speeds of up to 260MB/s read and 210MB/s write for a 20 to 25 percent performance gain.
AnandTech also stated that "what we can't confirm is how the two models differ in more intense testing, specifically with regards to random read/write performance, TRIM support, etc."
The SSDs in the 11.6-inch MacBook Air are unusual in that they aren't built to the standard 2.5-inch or 1.8-inch form factors normally used in laptops, the site notes. Rather, Apple apparently commissioned a brand new form factor for mSATA SSDs, now called blade SSDs.
In PCMag.com's review of the 11.6-inch MacBook Air, we noted that it is "the lightest, smallest laptop in Apple's inventory, but you'll have to give up certain luxuries and pay a hefty price for it."