The last-gen MacBook Air is pretty enduring. The last refresh came 3 years ago. Not to mention that the hardware design is already 10 years old. Yet, I'm pretty sure that if you walk into a co-work space or cafe today, you'd find a couple of people either typing, reading, or watching videos on one of them. In the world of tech, this longevity is pretty much unheard of.
People loved it and continue to love it because it serves its purpose well. It's an excellent entry-level laptop that you can use when you travel. It's sufficiently powerful and its battery life is unmatched. The best part about it is its price. At $999, it's the perfect gateway to the Mac OS system.
This year's update, however, seems to have abandoned its entry-level position. Now priced at $1,199 for the base model, it's now a bit unreachable for the notebook's original market. The iPad Pro looks to be positioning itself as Apple's new entry-level computer with a similar $950 price point if bought with the keyboard and Pencil.
It also gives up its position as Apple's default travel laptop. The MacBook is now the brand's slimmest, lightest, and longest-lasting computer.
Same Premium Feel, Improved Screen Quality
Materials-wise, the new MacBook Air uses the same gorgeous all-aluminium design that the old one had. As a result, it still has a premium look and feel to it that other laptops can only try to copy.
The screen is where most of the hardware changes occur. Instead of the low-resolution display that the old one had, the new one has been upgraded to a Retina display. This means it's already Full HD. It's a huge upgrade considering that this is one of the few glaring weaknesses of the last MacBook Air. Reading texts and consuming content is made a lot better by this improvement.
The bezels have also greatly shrunk which makes it look a bit more modern.
Not So Improved Processing Power
Although the hardware improvements got rid of most of the problems with the old MacBook Air, the new one created a few problems internally. The first and foremost of them is that the processor is a bit underpowered by today's standards.
Although it's an 8th-gen Core i5, they're using a dual-core chip instead of the newly introduced quad-core laptop chipsets. Considering other more inexpensive Windows-powered ultrabooks, this is an atrocity. When compared to another Apple product, it looks even more difficult to stomach. The iPad Pro, Apple's most expensive tablet, is now more powerful than the MacBook Air.
Now, a tablet can outperform a full computer in processor intensive tasks. Let that sink in.
Dual Thunderbolt 3 Ports
One shining improvement on the new MacBook Air is that it now sports 2 USB C ports. This means that you can plug in a peripheral and charge it at the same time. This is a struggle with the MacBook if you don't have the necessary dongle.
These are also Thunderbolt 3 ports. You can, therefore, plug in an external GPU to boost its graphical power if and when needed.
Butterfly Keyboard and Unmatched Trackpad
When it comes to trackpad technology and hardware, Apple is unmatched. They're always just so precise and easy to use. So, with this year's MacBook Air, Apple is bringing it back and even improving on it by making the surface bigger. Now, there's plenty of room for the multi-touch gestures.
Stuck keys due to dirt should be a thing of the past as these new laptops are getting the new butterfly keyboards. It's a bit divisive but the fact that it's nearly impossible to jam is a welcome improvement.
Touch ID
Passwords, it seems, are a thing of the past.
Apple seemingly transferred the Touch ID hardware from the iPhone to the MacBook Air. Users can now log into these new laptops with their fingerprints. Apple claims that it's the safest way to log into your laptop.
Conclusion
Fans have been clamouring for a new MacBook Air for a long time. The 10-year-old design is great but it has become bland in modern standards. Other slim and light laptops such as Dell's XPS and HP's Spectre laptops have overtaken it in the design innovation department. So this year is the perfect year to update it.
Texts would be a lot crisper and video would be a lot smoother due to the full 1080p Retina Display. It's an excellent upgrade that a lot of people had been asking for.
The improved input devices are subtle yet worthwhile upgrades. They're also something that MacBook Air fans would thoroughly enjoy.
The port selection on these new laptops is one of the best in the category. The 2 Thunderbolt 3-ready USB C ports are just way more useful than the previous model's ports.
In summary, it's still one of the best slim and light laptops that money can buy. However, after waiting 10 years for this update, the company that brought us the iPhone X should have made this beloved product's redesign a bit more memorable.
All in all, it seems that these new MacBook Airs have lost their place in more ways than one. It's no longer in the entry-level price range and it can no longer boast being the most portable.
The processing power is improved, but it may not be enough if you consider what's available in the market. The "Air" moniker also seems undeserved because it's no longer the slimmest or the lightest in Apple's lineup of computers. The price point is also a sore spot that might prevent owners of the old MacBook Air from upgrading.
The fact that Apple will still be selling the outdated previous model shows that even the company is unsure of the position these new laptops will occupy. The end result is that consumers will have to think longer and harder about their Mac OS laptop purchase.
People loved it and continue to love it because it serves its purpose well. It's an excellent entry-level laptop that you can use when you travel. It's sufficiently powerful and its battery life is unmatched. The best part about it is its price. At $999, it's the perfect gateway to the Mac OS system.
This year's update, however, seems to have abandoned its entry-level position. Now priced at $1,199 for the base model, it's now a bit unreachable for the notebook's original market. The iPad Pro looks to be positioning itself as Apple's new entry-level computer with a similar $950 price point if bought with the keyboard and Pencil.
It also gives up its position as Apple's default travel laptop. The MacBook is now the brand's slimmest, lightest, and longest-lasting computer.
Same Premium Feel, Improved Screen Quality
Materials-wise, the new MacBook Air uses the same gorgeous all-aluminium design that the old one had. As a result, it still has a premium look and feel to it that other laptops can only try to copy.
The screen is where most of the hardware changes occur. Instead of the low-resolution display that the old one had, the new one has been upgraded to a Retina display. This means it's already Full HD. It's a huge upgrade considering that this is one of the few glaring weaknesses of the last MacBook Air. Reading texts and consuming content is made a lot better by this improvement.
The bezels have also greatly shrunk which makes it look a bit more modern.
Not So Improved Processing Power
Although the hardware improvements got rid of most of the problems with the old MacBook Air, the new one created a few problems internally. The first and foremost of them is that the processor is a bit underpowered by today's standards.
Although it's an 8th-gen Core i5, they're using a dual-core chip instead of the newly introduced quad-core laptop chipsets. Considering other more inexpensive Windows-powered ultrabooks, this is an atrocity. When compared to another Apple product, it looks even more difficult to stomach. The iPad Pro, Apple's most expensive tablet, is now more powerful than the MacBook Air.
Now, a tablet can outperform a full computer in processor intensive tasks. Let that sink in.
Dual Thunderbolt 3 Ports
One shining improvement on the new MacBook Air is that it now sports 2 USB C ports. This means that you can plug in a peripheral and charge it at the same time. This is a struggle with the MacBook if you don't have the necessary dongle.
These are also Thunderbolt 3 ports. You can, therefore, plug in an external GPU to boost its graphical power if and when needed.
Butterfly Keyboard and Unmatched Trackpad
When it comes to trackpad technology and hardware, Apple is unmatched. They're always just so precise and easy to use. So, with this year's MacBook Air, Apple is bringing it back and even improving on it by making the surface bigger. Now, there's plenty of room for the multi-touch gestures.
Stuck keys due to dirt should be a thing of the past as these new laptops are getting the new butterfly keyboards. It's a bit divisive but the fact that it's nearly impossible to jam is a welcome improvement.
Touch ID
Passwords, it seems, are a thing of the past.
Apple seemingly transferred the Touch ID hardware from the iPhone to the MacBook Air. Users can now log into these new laptops with their fingerprints. Apple claims that it's the safest way to log into your laptop.
Conclusion
Fans have been clamouring for a new MacBook Air for a long time. The 10-year-old design is great but it has become bland in modern standards. Other slim and light laptops such as Dell's XPS and HP's Spectre laptops have overtaken it in the design innovation department. So this year is the perfect year to update it.
Texts would be a lot crisper and video would be a lot smoother due to the full 1080p Retina Display. It's an excellent upgrade that a lot of people had been asking for.
The improved input devices are subtle yet worthwhile upgrades. They're also something that MacBook Air fans would thoroughly enjoy.
The port selection on these new laptops is one of the best in the category. The 2 Thunderbolt 3-ready USB C ports are just way more useful than the previous model's ports.
In summary, it's still one of the best slim and light laptops that money can buy. However, after waiting 10 years for this update, the company that brought us the iPhone X should have made this beloved product's redesign a bit more memorable.
All in all, it seems that these new MacBook Airs have lost their place in more ways than one. It's no longer in the entry-level price range and it can no longer boast being the most portable.
The processing power is improved, but it may not be enough if you consider what's available in the market. The "Air" moniker also seems undeserved because it's no longer the slimmest or the lightest in Apple's lineup of computers. The price point is also a sore spot that might prevent owners of the old MacBook Air from upgrading.
The fact that Apple will still be selling the outdated previous model shows that even the company is unsure of the position these new laptops will occupy. The end result is that consumers will have to think longer and harder about their Mac OS laptop purchase.