Could this be the end for the MacBook Air? Reports this week suggest that Apple could be releasing a new entry level MacBook in the second half of 2018 to replace this old favourite.
At present, the Air is still a firm favourite, even though it was first released in 2010. It set the precedent for the Ultrabook craze – and you could argue that it ultimately led us to the MacBook.
It used to be the lightest Mac, but with the introduction of the MacBook, it lost that title. The new MacBook Pros are 12% thinner and take up less volume, are more powerful and weigh about the same as the Air.
However, the both the MacBook and the new MacBook Pros are higher in price. This meant that the Air was a great way to enter the Mac ecosystem at an attractive price point. Additionally, for many of our clients, the Air was a great balance between portability, functionality and price. For those companies who weren’t doing design, but were working on spreadsheets and were on the move, the Air was and is their go-to machine.
Since its launch in 2010, the Air line up has witnessed an 11 and 13” version. However, its last major revision was in 2015, and the 11” version was gently parked a while ago. In 2016, we got an increase in Ram, and at WWDC 2017 the Air got a processor improvement from 1.6GHz to 1.8GHz.
With its Silver case, illuminated Apple logo and great price point, we have to admit to being rather fond of the Air. Once the coolest kid on the block, it now does look a little dated against its Space Grey, Gold or Rose Gold siblings. The lack of a Butterfly keyboard, Trackpad and Retina Display means that it isn’t that fancy. However, if I couldn’t get a MacBook Pro I would happily by pass the MacBook for the Air. We really hope that if Apple do replace the Air, that they make the new 13” MacBook as honest with a great price point just like the machine it will replace.