MacBook Air
The MacBook Air is “the default Mac” – the one you should buy if you’re not sure which model you need.
Table of contents
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.
It was joined by an 11-inch model in 2010. By 2011, it has replaced the simple MacBook as the entry-level MacBook in the lineup. It became a tremendously popular machine with everyone from students to senior corporate executives because to its mix of price, mobility, cuteness, and adaptability for most people's computer usage.
In 2016, the 11-inch MacBook Air was phased out, leaving only the 13-inch variants.
The then-elderly design received its first major modification in 2018. The machine now has a Retina display, Touch ID, and USB-C connectors, as well as a new design with lower bezels, a narrower form factor, and less weight.
In 2020, the MacBook Air was one of the first three devices to use Apple Silicon in the form of the M1 chip, which replaced Intel processors.
MacBook Air Specs
The Apple M1 CPU in the 2020 MacBook Air has eight cores, four performance cores and four efficiency cores. It comes in two almost identical variants, one with an 8-core GPU and the other with a (chip-binned) 7-core GPU.
The computer comes with a choice of 8GB or 16GB of unified memory. 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB of SSD storage are available.
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 is supported, as well as 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. It can support one external monitor with a resolution of up to 6K and a refresh rate of 60Hz.
Two USB-C ports on the MacBook Air enable USB 3.1 Gen 2, USB 4, and Thunderbolt 3.
Battery life is advertised to be up to 15 hours of web browsing or 18 hours of movie watching, and user reviews show that real-world usage is close to that.
Pricing
MacBook Air (2020) pricing starts at $999 for the 7-core GPU with 8GB unified memory and 256GB SSD. The 8-core GPU model comes with the same 8GB unified memory, but a 512GB SSD, at $1,249.
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.