15 years of MacBook Air: In mid-January 2008, Steve Jobs presented the first generation of a completely new Mac model series, which the Apple founder pulled out of an envelope to attract the public – and presented it as the “thinnest notebook in the world”. Apple thus entered the once small market of ultra-portable notebooks, in which light weight and thickness are in the foreground.
In contrast to the devices from the PC competition at the time, the MacBook Air was equipped with a comparatively large 13.3-inch display and a full keyboard – and a relatively fast processor that Intel had developed especially for Apple.
First MacBook without an optical drive
However, Apple also had to make compromises: the Intel processor quickly overheated in the compact design of the MacBook Air, and the fan blew audibly in everyday use. With the thin notebook, which weighs a good 1.3 kilograms, the manufacturer also eliminated almost all connections that were common at the time: only a single USB-A port, an unusual micro-DVI socket and the headphone connection remained. The three ports were hidden behind a flap on the bottom.
Apple also dispensed with an integrated optical drive, triggering countless discussions. Instead, an optional external DVD drive was introduced for just under 100 euros. The “USB Superdrive” is still available 15 years later for almost the same price. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the Apple notebook relied entirely on wireless connections. An integrated mobile phone support is missing – to this day.
For the compact form factor and the low weight, buyers had to accept considerable compromises in performance – or dig even deeper into their pockets: The MacBook Air with a faster processor and 64 GB SSD cost around 2870 euros and thus more than the entry-level model at the time of the Mac Pro. Apple equipped a cheaper version with a slow hard disk drive.
Cheaper Air new edition already in 2010
The big sales success came with a far-reaching revision of the MacBook Air in 2010. The new models with 11″ and 13.3″ displays not only had a much more affordable entry-level price, but all had SSDs and now two USB ports. From 2011, a Thunderbolt port was added, as well as – in the larger model – an SD card slot.
With the reduced range of interfaces, fast flash memory, large and multi-touch capable trackpad as well as permanently integrated RAM, the MacBook Air served as a blueprint for many laptops from the competition as well as all subsequent Apple MacBooks. The wedge shape of the MacBook Air stuck to the MacBook Air for more than ten years, and the manufacturer only broke away from it with the new edition in 2022.
MacBook Air long neglected
After introducing the more compact (and expensive) 12-inch MacBook in 2015, Apple neglected the MacBook Air for several years. Observers repeatedly speculated that the model series had probably had its day. But it was obviously still being bought – not least because it was the cheapest MacBook. It wasn’t until 2018 that Apple finally relaunched the Air and brought it up to date with a high-resolution retina display, fingerprint sensor and Thunderbolt ports (USB-C). The model series then celebrated a resounding comeback – externally unchanged – in autumn 2020 with the lot faster M1 chip. At the same time, Apple was able to do without the fan here, so the notebook works completely silently.
Last summer, Apple equipped the MacBook Air with an M2 chip and revised the case. It is now more based on the MacBook Pro and dispenses with the classic wedge shape. The price also rose, so that the M1 MacBook Air remained in the range as a cheaper entry-level model. If the rumor mill is correct, Apple could significantly expand the Air model series for the first time this year with a new 15-inch model.
(lbe)
