When Apple launched the 12-inch MacBook, the company's thinnest, lightest Mac product, many were disappointed that no new updates on MacBook Air was included. They were expecting a lot of improvement from the Apple, but it appears that those major features will have to wait a little longer.
MacBook is a standalone product that is distinct from the existing MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro lineups. It measures in at 13.1mm thick, the new MacBook is 24 percent thinner than the existing MacBook Air, and it weighs just two pounds, lighter than both the 2.38 pound 11-inch MacBook Air and the 2.96 pound 13-inch MacBook Air. It has a 12-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2304 x 1440.
For years Apple's MacBook Air has languished in partial obsolescence—a great laptop with fantastic battery life and a quizzically outdated screen, the pitiful 1440 x 900 resolution for modern times. Sadly, the company hasn't learned its lesson because the 2015 MacBook Air refresh has the same, outdated display as it has for years. What a disappointment.
It's hard to be too upset—the humble MacBook Air now has to live in the shadow of a "normal" MacBook that's even thinner, promises the same ballpark of all-day battery life and has a 2304 x 1440 retina display. With something like that around, what's the point in buying a MacBook Air?
Well, oddly, the answer is power: the refreshed 2015 Air now has 5th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, Thunderbolt 2 and updated flash storage for faster data transfer.
This puts the MacBook Air in a weird place. Yesterday it was the machine you went to if you wanted to trade battery life for power and resolution. Today it's the machine you go to if you want to trade screen resolution for a more powerful CPU. With Apple injecting similar upgrades in its regular MacBook Pro line, it has made the Air the machine in the Middle.
The refreshed MacBook Air will be available later today, starting at US$ 900.
MacBook is a standalone product that is distinct from the existing MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro lineups. It measures in at 13.1mm thick, the new MacBook is 24 percent thinner than the existing MacBook Air, and it weighs just two pounds, lighter than both the 2.38 pound 11-inch MacBook Air and the 2.96 pound 13-inch MacBook Air. It has a 12-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2304 x 1440.
For years Apple's MacBook Air has languished in partial obsolescence—a great laptop with fantastic battery life and a quizzically outdated screen, the pitiful 1440 x 900 resolution for modern times. Sadly, the company hasn't learned its lesson because the 2015 MacBook Air refresh has the same, outdated display as it has for years. What a disappointment.
It's hard to be too upset—the humble MacBook Air now has to live in the shadow of a "normal" MacBook that's even thinner, promises the same ballpark of all-day battery life and has a 2304 x 1440 retina display. With something like that around, what's the point in buying a MacBook Air?
Well, oddly, the answer is power: the refreshed 2015 Air now has 5th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, Thunderbolt 2 and updated flash storage for faster data transfer.
This puts the MacBook Air in a weird place. Yesterday it was the machine you went to if you wanted to trade battery life for power and resolution. Today it's the machine you go to if you want to trade screen resolution for a more powerful CPU. With Apple injecting similar upgrades in its regular MacBook Pro line, it has made the Air the machine in the Middle.
The refreshed MacBook Air will be available later today, starting at US$ 900.
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