It should be noted that this is general tech-test, not a tip for Macbook Air shoppers. He tested 7200 rpm drives while the Macbook Air uses a 4200 rpm hard drive.

So while this test shows why larger laptops will be using hard drives for some time, it is NOT a comparison between the 2 Macbook Air models.

Performance is relative. What do you need done? The performance requirements of an MBA is different from the performance requirements of my iMac because the purpose of the machines is different.

For me the performance advantage of an SSD is the fact that it does not have to park the heads. When you slam the lid shut on a MacBook or MBP it takes about 15 to 20 seconds to write the status quo to your hard drive, during which time it is inadvisable to move the machine. If you do so It is possible that the machine will not go to sleep and you will get one hot laptop in your bag.

With a MBA you close the lid, drop the MBA into it's bag and boogie.

From the standpoint of the MBA that is performance.

First of all, the comparison was not between SSDs and 3.5 inch HDDs as this article implies. (That would truly be silly.) The actual comparison used 2 SSDs, 1 Momentus 2.5 inch HDD and 1 Barracuda 3.5 inch HDD. The silly part is that if I have a computer that can work with a 3.5 inch drive, I am not worried about battery life. If performance is a driver, then why not go for a 10,000 rpm drive? This wipes out two of the supposed advantages of the SSD and leaves only the no moving parts. I cannot imagine replacing a 3.5 inch drive with an SSD for any real reason today. I agree that today's SSD is not a mainstream competitor for a good 2.5 inch drive. Hopefully this will change. Until it does, keep your moeny and buy the HDD.