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In 2008 Steve Jobs introduced the first ultra-thin, lightweight MacBook Air by dramatically sliding it out of an inter-office envelope. The idea of a dramatically thin, lightweight, and fully functional laptop continues on.

MacBook Air M3 15-inch deals

The MacBook Air is “the default Mac” – the one you should buy if you’re not sure which model you need.

History

The MacBook Air was launched in 2008 as a premium 13-inch model, billed as the world’s thinnest laptop. It was dramatically revealed by Steve Jobs sliding it out of an office envelope.

In 2010, it was joined by an 11-inch model. By 2011, that had become the entry-level MacBook, replacing the plain MacBook in the lineup. Its combination of affordability, portability, cuteness, and suitability for most people’s computer usage saw it become a hugely popular machine with everyone from students to senior business execs.

The 11-inch MacBook Air was discontinued in 2016, leaving only the 13-inch models.

In 2018, we saw the first major update to the then-elderly design. This gave the machine a Retina display, Touch ID, USB-C ports along with a design refresh with smaller bezels, a slimmer form factor, and lighter weight.

In 2020, the MacBook Air was one of the first three machines to make the switch from Intel processors to Apple Silicon in the form of the M1 chip. In 2022, it was joined by an M2 model.

MacBook Air Specs

The 2020 M1 MacBook Air is powered by an 8-core Apple M1 chip, comprising four performance cores and four efficiency cores. It’s available in two almost-identical versions, one with an 8-core GPU, the other with a (chip-binned) 7-core one. The machine is available with either 8GB or 16GB of unified memory. SSD storage options are 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB.

The 2022 M2 MacBook Air has a 10-core GPU option, up to 24GB of unified memory, and up to 2TB of SSD storage.

Pricing

M1 MacBook Air (2020) pricing starts at $999 for the 7-core GPU with 8GB unified memory and 256GB SSD.

M2 MacBook Air (2022) pricing starts at $1199 for the 8-core GPU with 8GB unified memory and 256GB SSD.

The machine can be specced up as far as 16GB unified memory and 2TB SSD for $2,049.

Lower prices may be available from Apple’s official Amazon store.

MacBook Air Review

In our video review of the machine, we described it as game-changing.

There is very little negative to say about these MacBooks. Apple has taken a design like the MacBook Air, which it more or less perfected with the early 2020 refresh, and made it 10 times better. This is no hyperbole. These M1-powered MacBooks are such a huge improvement in performance and battery life with virtually no negative baggage. I can’t see myself ever wanting to go back to an Intel-based laptop […]

If I was using an Intel-based MacBook Air, I wouldn’t even consider using a machine with such little memory to handle my day-to-day creative workflow, but Apple’s implementation of unified memory cannot be compared 1:1 with typical RAM configurations.

Basic day-to-day usage is relatively unaffected by the amount of RAM, or lack thereof. The MacBook Air is competent with only 8GB of RAM even when running lots of apps simultaneously, even with a dozen Safari windows, and even when swapping out to the SSD […]

I can attest to the fact that these MacBooks have incredibly long battery life, so much so that it was honestly hard to believe initially. I was able to use my MacBook Air for a full workday, writing, browsing the web, chatting on zoom, and editing video and photos, and the machine was only at 50% by the end of the day. I woke up the next day, and did several hours of zoom video calls and web browsing, and the machine finally gave me a warning to plug in when it reached 10%

Opinion: The new MacBook Air and iPad Pro Magic Keyboard are game changers

MacBook Air or iPad Pro Magic Keyboard combo

There had been much speculation about whether or not we’d see a March event. As it turns out, the coronavirus would have put paid to that anyway, but the new MacBook Air and iPad Pro Magic Keyboard announced today would absolutely have justified one.

Life used to be very simple when friends asked me for recommendations on which laptop to buy…


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Kuo: New MacBook Pro and MacBook Air with new scissor switch keyboard launching by June

Apple is said to be accelerating the product pipeline for new Mac laptops. Following the warm reception to the 16-inch MacBook Pro, reliable Ming-Chi Kuo now expects Apple to deliver new MacBook Air and new MacBook Pro models in the second quarter.

This means the butterfly keyboard will have flown away on all of Apple’s products by June.


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Coronavirus expected to severely hit laptop production, will be one-third down

Global laptop production will be down by one third

A supply-chain report predicts that laptop production in China will be severely hit by the coronavirus outbreak and that global shipments for this quarter will be down by anything between 29% and 36%.

Quanta, which makes most of Apple’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, has contingency plans in place, but these are not expected to be sufficient…


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The latest MacBook Pro has a different keyboard, so is it safe to buy an Apple laptop now?

Hooray! Apple has a new MacBook Pro with what we all surely hope will turn out to be an actually reliable keyboard! If you’ve been using a MacBook computer introduced in the last four or five years, this is really great news.

We’ll have to test the new keyboard out for ourselves before we reach a final verdict, but the key change here is higher travel and the return to scissor switch keys versus problematic butterfly key switches.

So does that mean it’s safe finally safe to buy an Apple laptop again without concern about durability? It’s complicated, but in short, I wouldn’t recommend my family spend $1000 and up on a new MacBook just yet.


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Microsoft says new Surface Laptop is 3x more powerful than MacBook Air, has removable SSD, teases foldables for 2020

Microsoft Surface MacBook Air competitor

Microsoft has unveiled its latest laptops and convertible 2-in-1 devices at an event today in New York City. While announcing the new Surface Laptop 3, the company claimed that it is 3x more powerful than Apple’s MacBook Air and has a user-removable SSD. Also unveiled at the event was the Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro X, an AirPods competitor. But Microsoft also had a surprise up its sleeve, it unveiled an all-new foldable tablet and foldable smartphone that it plans to launch in 2020.


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Kuo: All MacBook butterfly keyboards replaced with more reliable key switches in 2020, starting with rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro this fall

MacBook Pro keyboard

Reliable supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities has published a new report focused squarely on Apple keyboards. Kuo lays out an updated timeline for when he believes Apple will begin using more reliable keyboards in MacBooks.


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The new, cheaper, MacBook Air includes ~35% slower SSD compared to 2018 model

MacBook Air

The Retina MacBook Air was refreshed last week with a new price and the addition of a True Tone display. The refresh was minor, with the same CPUs as 2018, but a $100 cheaper price point: the 2019 MacBook Air starts at $1099 from Apple, with $999 student pricing.

It turns out that one downside to this latest revision is that the laptop actually features slower solid state storage than the 2018 model.


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Which MacBook is right for you? Here’s how the 2019 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro compare

9to5Mac is brought to you by CleanMyMac X. Find hidden junk, large old folders, unused apps, and heavy memory consumers. You can also use CleanMyMac X to remove malware, unwanted pop-ups, and virus extensions.

After launching updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro notebooks yesterday, Apple also pared down its lineup by discontinuing the 12-inch MacBook and previous-generation MacBook Air. Whether you’re looking to pick up a new Mac for school, work, or general use, read on for a detailed look at how the new MacBook lineup compares.


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Apple’s new MacBook Air and Pro models are eligible for free keyboard repairs

MacBook Pro keyboard

Following a refresh for the latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models today, Apple has informed repair staff that the two new MacBook models are eligible for its Keyboard Service program offering free repairs on keyboards in certain MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models. The two new models added today include the MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) and the MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports), according to a memo to staff obtained by 9to5Mac.


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Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in 2019 MacBook Air and 2020 MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro keyboard

Apple is apparently set to ditch the butterfly mechanism used in MacBooks since 2015, which has been the root of reliability issues and its low-travel design has also not been popular with many Mac users.

In a report published today, Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple will roll out a new keyboard design based on scissor switches, offering durability and longer key travel, starting with the 2019 MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro is also getting the new scissor switch keyboard, but not until 2020.


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Apple finds issue w/ logic board in some 2018 MacBook Airs, offers free repair

Apple has confirmed in an internal document to repair staff that it’s identified an issue with the main logic board in what it says is a “very small number” of MacBook Air models. Apple Stores and authorized repair staff have been informed to replace the main logic board in affected machines at no cost to customers, according to the document obtained by 9to5Mac.


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Apple expands Keyboard Service Program to include 2018 MacBook Pro and current MacBook Air

MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard

After acknowledging issues with its 2018 butterfly keyboards earlier this year, Apple has today expanded its Keyboard Service Program to cover the 2018 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebooks. The company is also using a new material in a revised third-gen butterfly keyboard that it claims should resolve issues like missed key presses and double key-presses. Additionally, Apple has started another Service Program for MacBook Pros with backlight display failures.


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Hands-on: The Uno Cable is a magnetic all-in-one USB-C cable with USB-C, Lightning & MicroUSB

Uno Cable with three tips

The Uno Cable sets out to solve a problem familiar to every gadget fan: all the different cables we need to carry with us to connect them to our MacBook. Uno can potentially mean carrying just one cable.

The Volta we have running in a promo does the job for those with older MacBooks with USB-A ports, while the Uno is designed for current models with USB-C ones …


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Apple earns first place in laptop customer support ranking with 91/100 score, 6 minute avg. call time

Apple Store app could show your approximate wait time

Apple has earned another first place ranking for its laptop customer service when compared to other tech companies. Laptop Mag today released its 2019 study that found Apple far ahead of competition like Samsung, Microsoft, HP, and more when it comes to both phone and web support for computers.


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