Apple has finally unveiled a new iteration of the MacBook Air. The 13.3-inch laptop is the first new version of the MacBook Air since 2015, and was announced at the same time as the new iPad Pro, said to be Apple’s first viable laptop alternative.
The MacBook Air is thinner, faster, and smaller than its 2015 predecessor, but is it worth its considerable price? Let’s compare the two and find out how they measure up, side-by-side and point-for-point.
Size
The new MacBook Air is thinner and smaller, 17% smaller, just 15.6 mm thick and weighing only 1.25 kg. It may not be the lightest laptop on the market, but it’s easy enough to carry all day long and barely notice.
Speed
The new MacBook Air is faster than its predecessor, using a new version of Intel’s dual-core i5 processor. It comes with 128 GB of storage space and 8 GB of ram.
Battery Life
Longer battery life: The new MacBook Air has the same amazing battery life as its predecessor: Up to 12 hours surfing the web, 13 hours of watching movies on iTunes. That’s one hour more than the most recent MacBook Air.
TouchID
Most commonly found on iPhone and iPads, Apple’s fingerprint sensor has been installed in the MacBook Air, so it can be unlocked in just seconds.
Screen
The screen on the new MacBook Air is bigger. Called a retina display, it runs to the four edges of the laptop, and it’s a lot sharper and brighter.
Environmental Impact
The new MacBook Air (in a first) is made from 100% recycled aluminum, which is better for the environment than the plastics so commonly used for laptops.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The new MacBook Air’s keyboard is backlit, which makes typing in the dark a whole lot easier. The keys are four times more stable than 2015’s MacBook Air. The Air’s trackpad is 20% larger, which gives the user lots of space for clicking and swiping.
In the fourth quarter (July to September) of 2018, 5.3 million Mac computers were sold worldwide. As of that same year, Apple featured six Mac computer models (MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iMac, and Mac Pro) plus an array of functional accessories.
Sales of Mac computers have steadily increased, providing stable revenue for the tech giant. 13.6 million units sold worldwide in 2010 increased to approximately 19.25 million in 2017. Mac computers sales generated roughly$18.6 billion US in 2010 to roughly $26 billion US in 2017. And Mac computers are not even Apple’s most profitable products. Generating $6.9 billion US during 2018’s first quarter, Mac computer sales accounted for less than 8 percent of the company’s total revenue.
So while Apple’s success is beyond debate, the qualities of the new MacBook Air aren’t quite as clear. It’s a good machine, of course, with a lot of fun and attractive features. Whether it’s the right laptop for you depends less on the machine, and more upon your specific needs and resources.
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