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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%

Samsung report confirms timings for OLED MacBook Pro; MacBook Air further delayed

A supply chain report on Samsung Display confirms expectations that the first OLED MacBook Pro models will launch in 2026. It says that the company is currently working on the first samples of the displays, and expects to be in full production in 2026.

The report also suggests that we’ll have to wait even longer than expected for the first MacBook Air models with OLED screens …

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I’d love to see the MacBook Air copy these four Zenbook features

Four ASUS Zenbook features I'd love to see the MacBook Air copy | Zenbook A14 shown

After I commented on the ASUS Zenbook A14 not only emulating the look of the MacBook Air, but exceeding its specs in several respects, I got the chance to spend some time using the machine.

While I’m certainly not going to be making the switch from macOS to Windows, there are a few things I’d love to see Apple replicate in future MacBooks …

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These three improvements could turn M4 MacBook Air into my dream laptop

M3 Macbook Air - Apple Store

While the MacBook Pro is the place to go for the latest and greatest tech, I’ve always been drawn to the MacBook Air for one key reason: portability. There’s just something really nice about the thinness and lightness of the MacBook Air, one that makes me willing to compromise on miniLED, ProMotion, additional ports, and so on.

The MacBook Air isn’t a perfect computer by any means, but there are some simple upgrades that I’d like to see Apple make with the M4 MacBook Air this year. Any of these upgrades would make it a much better package in my book.

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The new Zenbook A14 MacBook Air lookalike beats the real thing in five ways

Zenbook A14 MacBook Air lookalike beats the real thing in five ways

It says a lot about Apple’s design that the MacBook Air is seen as the ultimate standard targeted by PC laptop brands. Just matching the aesthetics and performance of the machine is seen as a tough goal, but ASUS may have gone one better with its new Zenbook A14.

The new machine not only succeeds in emulating the look of the MacBook Air, but exceeds its specs in no fewer than five different ways – including being even lighter …

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This was Apple’s most important Mac announcement this week

Apple made a lot of announcements this week, including the launch of the M4 Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and iMac. While each of those products is impressive, there’s one surprise announcement that stands out most to me.

On Wednesday, along with the new MacBook Pro, Apple announced that the MacBook Air now starts at 16GB of RAM and costs the same as before.

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Apple continues work on all-glass MacBook with virtual keyboard and trackpad

Apple continues work on all-glass MacBook with virtual keyboard and trackpad | Patent drawing

Apple famously dispensed with a physical keyboard when it revolutionized the smartphone market, and the company’s long-term goal appears to be to do the same for laptops.

A succession of patents have revealed Apple’s work on an all-screen MacBook with a virtual trackpad and keyboard, and a new continuation patent published yesterday shows that this project is still very much alive …

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Favorite tech for remote working and travel [Video]

Every year, more and more people are given the ability to work remotely. Some just set up an office in their homes, others bounce around coffee shops and coworking spaces, and others work while traveling. Even though I like to change up my work environment occasionally, I always make sure I have my go-to accessories to create a comfortable work environment wherever I am. Here are my favorite remote work accessories that everyone should consider!

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M3 MacBook Pro vs Air: How they compare and buyer’s guide

macbook-pro-vs-air-compared

Apple’s MacBook lineup was overhauled with the M3 MacBook Air models arriving in March 2024 and the latest MacBook Pro laptops coming with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips at the end of 2023. Join along for our in-depth look at MacBook Pro vs Air to see what’s similar and different and a buyer’s guide to help you make the best choice.

Update: The M4 MacBook Pro models are here, read our full, updated comparison for the latest on Apple’s laptops.

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New compact camera module for M5 MacBooks expected in 2025

New compact camera module for M5 MacBooks | Existing MacBook Pro shown

Apple has reportedly commissioned one of its Vietnamese suppliers, Sunny Optical, to provide a new MacBook compact camera module (CCM) from next year. This is likely to be first used in an M5 MacBook Pro in late 2025.

It’s a somewhat surprising move, given that Apple had to cancel iPhone lens orders from the same company due to production problems …

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Microsoft Surface ARM laptops mostly beat MacBook Air, but not MacBook Pro

Microsoft Surface ARM laptops powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 chip claim to match or beat Apple Silicon machines. Tests show that they (mostly) beat the MacBook Air, but not last year’s MacBook Pro models.

Comparative benchmark tests do reveal that the chip offers extremely impressive performance, leaving both Intel and AMD behind …

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Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon laptop chip is slower than Apple M3 in single-core, and less power efficient

Qualcomm has been touting the performance characteristics of its new Snapdragon X Elite series of ARM chips for a while, which finally debuted this week inside the new Copilot+ PC’s (albeit without the fancy AI Recall feature, which has been delayed following security concerns).

While reviewers have more testing to do, the initial benchmarks and results paint a mixed bag. While the 12-core CPU Qualcomm chips are posting higher multi-core scores than the 8-core CPU M3 chip found in Apple’s MacBook Air, the M3 is still unbeaten on single core. That means for many tasks, the MacBook Air will still be faster. The M3 chip is also more power efficient than the X Elite …

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