The MacBook Air "Core i7" 1.8 11-Inch (Mid-2011/Thunderbolt) was initially a "configure-to-order" option for the MC969LL/A MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.6 11-Inch (Mid-2011), but was later sold as a standard configuration as well. Except for the processor and its larger L3 cache, these two models are identical.
The Apple MacBook Air "Core i7" 1.8 11" (Mid-2011/Thunderbolt) is powered by a 32-nm "Sandy Bridge" 1.8 GHz Intel "Core i7" processor (2677M) with two independent processor "cores" on a single chip, a 4 MB shared level 3 cache, 4 GB of non-upgradable onboard 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, and either 128 GB or 256 GB of flash storage. The standard MD214LL/A configuration comes with 256 GB of storage by default. Graphics are handled by an Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor with 384 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with system memory.
This is all enclosed in a slim (0.11-0.68 inch), 2.3-pound aluminum case with an integrated "FaceTime" video camera, a backlit full-size keyboard (with smaller function keys), and an 11.6-inch widescreen TFT LED-backlit active-matrix "glossy" display (1366x768 native resolution).
Connectivity includes 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, dual USB 2.0 ports, analog audio out, and a new "Thunderbolt" port that is backward compatible with Mini DisplayPort. This port also supports an external display at 2560x1600 and passes an audio signal. Thunderbolt also supports other peripherals using the Thunderbolt standard, offering up to 10 Gbps of bandwidth in both directions. It lacks internal Ethernet (a US$29 external USB adapter was an option) and also omits Firewire and optical audio in/out.
Compared to its predecessor, this model has a very similar external housing, although it includes the aforementioned Thunderbolt port, a backlit keyboard, and is slightly heavier. Internally, however, it features a faster processor, architecture, and RAM, along with improved wireless capabilities.