It is for MacOS. People have been clamoring for years for an updated MacBook Air with a Retina screen and Apple finally obliged but tacked $200 onto the base model so they don't cannibalize MacBook Pro profits too much.
This also leaves the 12" MacBook in a very odd position of being both under-powered and overpriced compared to the Air as the base model for that starts at $1299. I can only assume Apple's model is that the MacBook Air is the "base" and you either move to MacBook for more "ultra" portability or MacBook Pro for more speed.
I feel like hardware prices have climbed significantly across the board this year (desktops, laptops, smartphones, GPUs). On the bright side, this means I won't be tempted to upgrade for a while!
Annnd that's the only laptop Apple made that I was considering and is now off my list. Simply put, the lack of USB A is a pain right now. Might be useful in future but now it's just a pain. I do not want to faff around with dongles. Sod off. Also, gone is the magsafe adaptor? As well as quite a bit of connectivity. For more money. The screen needed to be upgraded and that's great but losing the connectivity is just a killer for me. I really did want to replace my ageing Air with this model but you've just gone and ruined it for me at least. I hope your market research means you've got it right for the majority.
None of the complaints came as a surprise. None of their other laptops have USB-A, why would thisone, none of their other laptops have magsafe, why would thisone?
Yes, it is unfortunate for some, that this is the reality, but... it has been for well over a year.
Yep, I thoroughly expected it. They always look to the future and a lot of their customers want high bandwidth connectivity. I completely understand their decision, I was just kinda hoping they do what they did with the previous Air and have a mix - thunderbolt and USB A. I knew they were scrapping MagSafe - in my opinion, a bad decision as it has saved my laptop a couple of times from carelessness but again I can see why they've done it. It's a shame for people like me who kinda like the OS and so on but it's probably a boon for their core audience. As I said, whilst it's not good for me, I hope they've got it right for the majority.
MagSafe wasn't actually a good connector design, as it is rather vulnerable to short-circuits. There are good ways to do a breakaway connector, but MagSafe wasn't one of them.
But I think Apple abandoned it for wattage limitations. You can only run so much power through it before arcing becomes a concern. And if they can't use it on the high end systems, they ain't gonna put it on the low end ones. Basically, the pogo pins used for MagSafe have fundamental problems as a high-wattage power delivery system.
More conventional connectors get around both of these problems by having an insulator separating the + and - terminals that extends past them. It turns out electrical engineers knew what they were doing when they made those old clunky barrel connectors and DINs.
On the other hand, PCMag says there is a fan. "One rep did say that there is some active air cooling of the CPU in the new Air, with the chassis taking up some of the cooling duty as a passive heat sink, but the fan ventilating subtly out the trailing edge of the hinge area when the laptop is open."
😕 Guess we'll have to wait for the teardowns to know for sure.
When they had the graphic up showing the innards all blown up, there was clearly a fan inside. The floor reps aren't always accurate, but we'll see when it ships
One thing I am surprise is why has Apple not release a laptop with 8705g on it - it would be perfect setup for Apple notebook. My guess probably aim at MacBook Pro - since it would be significantly more powerful - but used more battery. These cpu's look like Amber Lake - since it has 617 GPU.
Apple seems to behind the times in screens with smaller units - you can a 13 in Dell XPS 13 2in1 with 4k screen for last two years.
The Dell XPS 13 has a 16x9 aspect ratio and the vertical space feels more like an 11" laptop than a 13" laptop. Until they start formatting websites horizontally, I kinda hate the screen on the XPS 13.
well to me 16x9 is great to have and good things how Dell can put a 13 in screen in 11 in frame. People love edge to edge screen in phones - but some hate in notebooks just because it is Dell
I wonder who's the target for these... too expensive as a media or web browsing machine, too compromised as a mobile workstation, I can't seem to think of many use cases that these machines can fit other than a beautiful and light digital typewriter..
sure except that the new xps 13s are much more powerful and with more features. Heck theres a 2 in 1 model too. This "entry level" is horribly specced for the money but its Apple so it makes perfect sense.
2 in 1 is only a good feature if you want that. I have a surface pro for work and never use the tablet feature anymore. I personally would love a MBA but think it is overpriced and hate the butterfly switches.
There is middle ground to a web browser and full blown workstation. It will run all programs written for osx, and probably outlast most other laptops due to the build quality. We deployed macbook airs a long time ago and they are all still working fine. We deployed hp's and lenovo's too and none of those are in circulation any more.
It's for middle class people who think you need to have a Mac to have really made it in life, even if you just watch Netflix and write facebook posts on your laptop. Professionals who need Mac OS are better served with the Pro line, and anybody else should just get a Windows based ultrabook unless they need something super light like the Macbook.
in terms of professionals, "business support" warranties from HP, Dell and Lenovo are universally better than what Apple alone has to offer, anyway. 24/7+NBD+ADH+KEEP_SSD
There are plenty of reasons to own one besides status symbols. That’s just a reducinist insult. My Air was my favorite rebook ever by far. I know I’m not alone in that assessment, not am I alone in liking OSX. I’m using a MacBook now for portability, and I won’t own another Pro because I don’t need the extra power and expense. The Air hits the spot.
For years people have been asking for this - a retina version of the MacBook Air. Now that they actually sell one .. no one will want it. The 13" MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar is only $100 more and is a much better computer.
While I can maybe see why they've done it, the current product stack seems very cramped, with this sitting between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro without Touch Bar. The Macbook is like this, but smaller and even more limited ports, while the Macbook Pro is the same but with a full CPU/GPU. They seem to be stepping on each other's toes, with at most a $100 difference between them.
Is there much of a market for either "a slightly improved Macbook" or "a cheaper neutered Macbook Pro"? The former would surely move up to the MBP, while the latter could well step down to the Macbook without much difference. The middle ground seems fairly limited, but maybe that's just my view.
Apple will just keep increasing prices to see when the fanboys finally squawk about the prices being too high. I can't believe they still basically 2014 hardware for $999 in the old MacBook Air.
They never lowered the price on the macbook itself, except for clearance sales when they came out with the new model.
Which makes no sense. The MBA wasn't popular until the big price cuts and the sales - I got mine for $800 new. The new Macbook has already been $1k from time to time, it's price should be closer to that.
But to have 3 nearly identical laptops at about the same price point, I genuinely don't understand. They need a little more diversity. I would have loved one laptop with the old keyboard. Or at least move the regular MB to ARM. The issue with the ipad pro isn't the hardware, it's the weird IOS stuff.
Also, I wonder if the coming tariffs are influencing their decisions in phones and laptops. Because this doesn't appear to be a well planned product lineup.
Good Point. I guess it comes down to personal preference. Many people were content with MBA but wanted a Retina display to upgrade. As time went on they liked the Touch ID but hated the touch bar. For most folks it seemed that the Macbook's 1 USB-C port and slower CPU wasn't cutting it. The difference between the MBA and MBP are technical and I think personal preference. The weight difference is 0.27 lbs which is very small, however, as you know from carrying a MBA and MBP the weight distribution is different enough that the MBA will feel lighter even if both weight the same.... so why go with the MBA vs MBP? I would pick MBA because it has Touch ID and is lighter and will feel lighter and performance wise it will be in between the MackBook and MBP, which is good enough for my purposes, and because the extra 2-3 hours of work does come in handy. I think Apple listened to MBA owners and for the most part delivered what they wanted. I say this because I had a MBA and switched to a MBP to get a retina display and yeah I missed my MBA.
The lineup is now really weird. This isn't a replacement for the 13" non-Retina (which they still sell); it's about the same price as the 12" MB yet better is almost every way and MBP is only $100 more yet far superior. Why can't they keep things simple or explain how it fits together?
1200usd. 128GB. Enough said. I already don't understand laptops with 256GB in 2018. 128GB is outright useless. Do people who buy these laptops actually use them for anything? I have 264GB on my cell phone, and every vacation generates about 60GB of photos. I understand not all of them would stay on the laptop, but come on...
No, 128gb is perfect for workplaces, where everything should be on the network or in the cloud, and perfect as a second device, which these often are. I have a main gaming PC/home server and then an MBA for the living room and trips. I don't need more storage, even if it's always welcome.
They've eliminated the 4gb RAM and that was the old problem - and one that other vendors still have. My old 4gb MBA is fine, still, but I wouldn't buy a device new with that. Maybe not even a phone.
The other problem with your claim is that workplaces give laptops to employees, frequently, for the purpose of leveraging their mobility. That can mean working from locations that don't have this super-duper network.
The new one is faster, with Geekbench scores of 4248 and 7828 (single-core and multi-core, respectively), versus your Mid-2013 i7 MBA which has 3356 single-core and 6234 multi-core. Sources: New model: https://www.macrumors.com/2018/11/01/first-macbook... Your mid-2013 i7 model: https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/340 These are CPU tests, but the GPU and SSD are faster too, which should add to a better user experience.
I can't believe people buy the idea of this being an update to the macbook air. This is just a tuned-down version of the entry level macbook pro with Core M and touch id and a slightly lower price. This has nothing to do with the macbook air... But good marketing move from apple, everybody is buying it...
well, considering my last macbook air was a 2011 model, this will be quite a step up for me. i was looking for a replacement for it even before the battery swelled about 4-5 months ago. bought and tried out an xps13-9350 about 1-2 years ago and quickly gave it to the wife.
if the 12-inch macbook had a magsafe or 2nd usb-c port, i'd have bought it. the new air will suit me just fine for my needs for a long time.
I kind of agree, but you have to be specific about what you're disappointed about. Fingerprint reader is nice. I'm disappointed in the keyboard. A port on each side would have been better. And lower pricing for this or the macbook would have made more sense.
Also, I agree with one of the blogs that said we should have had this years ago. I understand staggering releases for new platforms from the car industry - release the new mustang, then the new mustang convertible, then the high performance variants - BUT to your point, this is just a slightly worse MBP with a fingerprint reader. It could have been released with the MBP, and the chassis shape isn't really that important at these thicknesses.
The i5-8210Y specs are odd in the context of the rest of the Amber Lake lineup. It's a part at 7 Watts standard, with a base clock of 1.6 GHz and a turbo of 3.6 GHz. In contrast, the i5-8200Y is a 5 Watt part with a base clock of 1.3 GHz and a turbo of 3.9 GHz. With TDP-up though the i5-8200Y 7 Watts with a base clock of 1.6 GHz and a turbo of 3.9 GHz. IOW, the i5-8200Y is faster at 7 Watts than the i5-8210Y at 7 Watts.
OTOH, the specs of the i5-8210Y match up perfectly with the i7-7Y75 with TDP-up, specifically 7 Watts, 1.6 GHz base, and 3.6 GHz turbo. The GPU specs are the same too.
Actually, it's not so great for Netflix. Netflix in macOS browsers do not allow us to download videos locally. In Apple's ecosystem, you need an iPad (or iPhone) with the Netflix app for that. In contrast to macOS, Netflix downloads are fully supported in Windows 10 with the Netflix app.
Can’t wait for the upgrade mupp... er... I mean... dedicated customers... to buy this and offload their 2015 models on to Yahoo Auctions so I can pick one up at half the price.
I used to be a massive apple fan through the Mac Classic, G3-5 and finally Intel, but their almost anti consumer practice of crippling machines and preventing upgrades means that 2011 was the last year that their products made economic sense to purchase for business use.
After that and you can’t even replace the effing hard disk yourself becuse they •literally• use sticky tape to hold their machines together.
What this new MBA does is free up the MacBook to go ARM at some point soon. The MBP non touchbar gets phased out. Possibly touchbar is dropped all together from MBP. Also, I would hope to see the MBA drop to $999 or go 256SSD, as 128 is ridiculous at this price
QUOTE: "Though it does seem to put a nail in the coffin of the idea of a sub-$1000 MacBook, especially as Apple seems more interested in moving those users on to the new iPad Pros." ANSWER: Wrong. Apple wants its customers to buy BOTH a Mac and an iPad (and an iPhone and AppleTV). They do not replace one another. Customers buy both.
I purchased this MacBook Air with an upgraded hard drive. The employee accidentally upgraded the RAM to 16GB too. It was quite expensive and I didn't notice until later (don't ask). Question is, is the 16GB RAM upgrade worth it? Isn't it in less need considering it is not the fastest processor, and the graphics card isn't actually stellar? I don't run servers or anything. My pro has the 16GB and I do feel I need it on it, but the Air was being purchased for travel/education. Also, it says I'm using 7.60 GB of physical memory when I'm barely even running the programs I would normally run, which are really just readers/education applications. I am so confused. that seems like a lot. Anyone have thoughts?
This is planned obsolescence garbage. It has a non-removeable battery, that is glued in and extremely difficult to replace and soldered down RAM and SSD. If the motherboard dies, there is absolutely no way to recover your data, because Apple removed the internal connector on the motherboard for data recovery. When a 500 GB SSD costs $85, even Apple fanboys have to disgusting when Apple charges $200 to increase the size of SSD by 128 GB.
At this point, the only reason to buy from Apple is the fact that the company promises to not share your data, but Purism Librem 13 does that so much better. I would love to see a review comparing the MBA to the Librem 13.
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fred666 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
A $1200 laptop is definitely not "entry level".WithoutWeakness - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
It is for MacOS. People have been clamoring for years for an updated MacBook Air with a Retina screen and Apple finally obliged but tacked $200 onto the base model so they don't cannibalize MacBook Pro profits too much.This also leaves the 12" MacBook in a very odd position of being both under-powered and overpriced compared to the Air as the base model for that starts at $1299. I can only assume Apple's model is that the MacBook Air is the "base" and you either move to MacBook for more "ultra" portability or MacBook Pro for more speed.
happy1day - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
The 256GB MBA -- equivalent to the MB -- is actually $1399; making the MB the budget offering ... if you can call $1300 "budget".It remains to be seen how the (apparent) y cpu performs. It almost certainly won't be up to a full i5 cpu though it'll be better than the MB's m3.
In any event, $1400 for a crippled i5 laptop with merely adequate storage is obscene in 2018
nicolaim - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Right on happy1day.My guess is they figure a computer should cost more than a phone ;)
aakash_sin - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
lolsonny73n - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Either they’re gouging and fixing the price or the dollar is losing its value.Stochastic - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
I feel like hardware prices have climbed significantly across the board this year (desktops, laptops, smartphones, GPUs). On the bright side, this means I won't be tempted to upgrade for a while!colonelclaw - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Up until last month I thought a mid-range graphics card cost $250. How wrong I was!shabby - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
It has an every level cpu though, it's something heh.Vivaan Bakshi - Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - link
A 1200$ laptop doesn't quite scream entry-level... Would have to give up on quite a lot of things in order to be able to afford that.philehidiot - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Annnd that's the only laptop Apple made that I was considering and is now off my list. Simply put, the lack of USB A is a pain right now. Might be useful in future but now it's just a pain. I do not want to faff around with dongles. Sod off. Also, gone is the magsafe adaptor? As well as quite a bit of connectivity. For more money. The screen needed to be upgraded and that's great but losing the connectivity is just a killer for me. I really did want to replace my ageing Air with this model but you've just gone and ruined it for me at least. I hope your market research means you've got it right for the majority.maatriks - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
None of the complaints came as a surprise. None of their other laptops have USB-A, why would thisone, none of their other laptops have magsafe, why would thisone?Yes, it is unfortunate for some, that this is the reality, but... it has been for well over a year.
philehidiot - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Yep, I thoroughly expected it. They always look to the future and a lot of their customers want high bandwidth connectivity. I completely understand their decision, I was just kinda hoping they do what they did with the previous Air and have a mix - thunderbolt and USB A. I knew they were scrapping MagSafe - in my opinion, a bad decision as it has saved my laptop a couple of times from carelessness but again I can see why they've done it. It's a shame for people like me who kinda like the OS and so on but it's probably a boon for their core audience. As I said, whilst it's not good for me, I hope they've got it right for the majority.Lord of the Bored - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
MagSafe wasn't actually a good connector design, as it is rather vulnerable to short-circuits. There are good ways to do a breakaway connector, but MagSafe wasn't one of them.But I think Apple abandoned it for wattage limitations. You can only run so much power through it before arcing becomes a concern. And if they can't use it on the high end systems, they ain't gonna put it on the low end ones.
Basically, the pogo pins used for MagSafe have fundamental problems as a high-wattage power delivery system.
More conventional connectors get around both of these problems by having an insulator separating the + and - terminals that extends past them. It turns out electrical engineers knew what they were doing when they made those old clunky barrel connectors and DINs.
orderofmag - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Don't forget the missing CD player.ToTTenTranz - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
So they're going from a 15W SoC with a GT3 GPU to a 5W SoC with a GT2 one?Hummm....
ragenalien - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
For 99% of apple users buying these, all they'll notice is that they're more responsive and have a nicer screen.Dug - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
You might be surprised. I use a macbook regularly and find no issues even with crappy cpu. Even using Photoshop and other apps.shabby - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Courage... hoping their users won't notice.Shark321 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
7W, not 5.r3loaded - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Given that it's using a Y-series processor, any word on whether it'll be fanless like the MacBook?Ryan Smith - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Based on Apple's presentation and the lack of any vents in product photos, it does appear to be fanless.tipoo - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
It's not, they had internal shots up as well.nyoungman - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
AppleInsider confirmed with Apple that it is a fanless design.Also, Intel is now listing this 7W Amber Lake CPU:
https://ark.intel.com/products/189912/Intel-Core-i...
nyoungman - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
On the other hand, PCMag says there is a fan. "One rep did say that there is some active air cooling of the CPU in the new Air, with the chassis taking up some of the cooling duty as a passive heat sink, but the fan ventilating subtly out the trailing edge of the hinge area when the laptop is open."😕 Guess we'll have to wait for the teardowns to know for sure.
tipoo - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
When they had the graphic up showing the innards all blown up, there was clearly a fan inside. The floor reps aren't always accurate, but we'll see when it shipstipoo - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Confirming it has a fan:https://photos5.appleinsider.com/gallery/28335-438...
happy1day - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
You'd think Apple would've mentioned it if it were.willis936 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Yeah, because downgrading to the lowest possible x86 power bracket is a "selling point".HStewart - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
One thing I am surprise is why has Apple not release a laptop with 8705g on it - it would be perfect setup for Apple notebook. My guess probably aim at MacBook Pro - since it would be significantly more powerful - but used more battery. These cpu's look like Amber Lake - since it has 617 GPU.Apple seems to behind the times in screens with smaller units - you can a 13 in Dell XPS 13 2in1 with 4k screen for last two years.
TEAMSWITCHER - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
The Dell XPS 13 has a 16x9 aspect ratio and the vertical space feels more like an 11" laptop than a 13" laptop. Until they start formatting websites horizontally, I kinda hate the screen on the XPS 13.HStewart - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
well to me 16x9 is great to have and good things how Dell can put a 13 in screen in 11 in frame. People love edge to edge screen in phones - but some hate in notebooks just because it is DellNICOXIS - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
I wonder who's the target for these... too expensive as a media or web browsing machine, too compromised as a mobile workstation, I can't seem to think of many use cases that these machines can fit other than a beautiful and light digital typewriter..diehardmacfan - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
I would imagine it's basically the same target as something like an XPS 13. There's a middle ground between casual web surfing and "workstation".Hxx - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
sure except that the new xps 13s are much more powerful and with more features. Heck theres a 2 in 1 model too.This "entry level" is horribly specced for the money but its Apple so it makes perfect sense.
ingwe - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
2 in 1 is only a good feature if you want that. I have a surface pro for work and never use the tablet feature anymore. I personally would love a MBA but think it is overpriced and hate the butterfly switches.Dug - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
There is middle ground to a web browser and full blown workstation. It will run all programs written for osx, and probably outlast most other laptops due to the build quality. We deployed macbook airs a long time ago and they are all still working fine. We deployed hp's and lenovo's too and none of those are in circulation any more.gijames1225 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
It's for middle class people who think you need to have a Mac to have really made it in life, even if you just watch Netflix and write facebook posts on your laptop. Professionals who need Mac OS are better served with the Pro line, and anybody else should just get a Windows based ultrabook unless they need something super light like the Macbook.fire400 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
in terms of professionals, "business support" warranties from HP, Dell and Lenovo are universally better than what Apple alone has to offer, anyway.24/7+NBD+ADH+KEEP_SSD
weevilone - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
There are plenty of reasons to own one besides status symbols. That’s just a reducinist insult. My Air was my favorite rebook ever by far. I know I’m not alone in that assessment, not am I alone in liking OSX. I’m using a MacBook now for portability, and I won’t own another Pro because I don’t need the extra power and expense. The Air hits the spot.Peskarik - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Huawei is 1kgTEAMSWITCHER - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
For years people have been asking for this - a retina version of the MacBook Air. Now that they actually sell one .. no one will want it. The 13" MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar is only $100 more and is a much better computer.nicolaim - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
I agree the low-end MBP is a better value, but I'll bet Apple will sell far more Airs.rev3rsor - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
While I can maybe see why they've done it, the current product stack seems very cramped, with this sitting between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro without Touch Bar. The Macbook is like this, but smaller and even more limited ports, while the Macbook Pro is the same but with a full CPU/GPU. They seem to be stepping on each other's toes, with at most a $100 difference between them.Is there much of a market for either "a slightly improved Macbook" or "a cheaper neutered Macbook Pro"? The former would surely move up to the MBP, while the latter could well step down to the Macbook without much difference. The middle ground seems fairly limited, but maybe that's just my view.
taisingera - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Apple will just keep increasing prices to see when the fanboys finally squawk about the prices being too high. I can't believe they still basically 2014 hardware for $999 in the old MacBook Air.nerd1 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Older gen CPU, $200 price bump, No full sized USB, crappy keyboard, not really lightweight (the same weight as 14" surface laptop)WHY?
tipoo - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
It's the most current generation of the Y series...doctorjain - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Tell me why I should buy new macbook air 13.3" 256GB for 1399$ if I can get 2017 macbook pro 256GB non-touch bar model for 1429$.For just 30$ more I will get much powerful CPU, 61W faster charging, better display (wide colour P3 with 500 nit brightness).
iwod - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
I don't understand that either. Not to mention the 2017 MBP gets a 60W Charger.I seriously hope this MBA is only temporary and next year it will drop to $999. The CPU in this thing sucks.
nico_mach - Thursday, November 1, 2018 - link
They never lowered the price on the macbook itself, except for clearance sales when they came out with the new model.Which makes no sense. The MBA wasn't popular until the big price cuts and the sales - I got mine for $800 new. The new Macbook has already been $1k from time to time, it's price should be closer to that.
But to have 3 nearly identical laptops at about the same price point, I genuinely don't understand. They need a little more diversity. I would have loved one laptop with the old keyboard. Or at least move the regular MB to ARM. The issue with the ipad pro isn't the hardware, it's the weird IOS stuff.
Also, I wonder if the coming tariffs are influencing their decisions in phones and laptops. Because this doesn't appear to be a well planned product lineup.
ikkysleepy - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Good Point. I guess it comes down to personal preference. Many people were content with MBA but wanted a Retina display to upgrade. As time went on they liked the Touch ID but hated the touch bar. For most folks it seemed that the Macbook's 1 USB-C port and slower CPU wasn't cutting it. The difference between the MBA and MBP are technical and I think personal preference. The weight difference is 0.27 lbs which is very small, however, as you know from carrying a MBA and MBP the weight distribution is different enough that the MBA will feel lighter even if both weight the same.... so why go with the MBA vs MBP? I would pick MBA because it has Touch ID and is lighter and will feel lighter and performance wise it will be in between the MackBook and MBP, which is good enough for my purposes, and because the extra 2-3 hours of work does come in handy. I think Apple listened to MBA owners and for the most part delivered what they wanted. I say this because I had a MBA and switched to a MBP to get a retina display and yeah I missed my MBA.akvadrako - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
The lineup is now really weird. This isn't a replacement for the 13" non-Retina (which they still sell); it's about the same price as the 12" MB yet better is almost every way and MBP is only $100 more yet far superior. Why can't they keep things simple or explain how it fits together?yankeeDDL - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
1200usd. 128GB. Enough said.I already don't understand laptops with 256GB in 2018. 128GB is outright useless.
Do people who buy these laptops actually use them for anything? I have 264GB on my cell phone, and every vacation generates about 60GB of photos. I understand not all of them would stay on the laptop, but come on...
nico_mach - Thursday, November 1, 2018 - link
No, 128gb is perfect for workplaces, where everything should be on the network or in the cloud, and perfect as a second device, which these often are. I have a main gaming PC/home server and then an MBA for the living room and trips. I don't need more storage, even if it's always welcome.They've eliminated the 4gb RAM and that was the old problem - and one that other vendors still have. My old 4gb MBA is fine, still, but I wouldn't buy a device new with that. Maybe not even a phone.
Oxford Guy - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
Does every workplace have a network that is as fast as a high-performance SSD?Oxford Guy - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
The other problem with your claim is that workplaces give laptops to employees, frequently, for the purpose of leveraging their mobility. That can mean working from locations that don't have this super-duper network.jabber - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
And repairablity?Either landfill or pay Apple $800 for a $50 fix?
hansensan - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Is the i7 in my 2013 MBA faster than the i5 in this one? I have a hunch it might be ...AdditionalPylons - Friday, November 2, 2018 - link
The new one is faster, with Geekbench scores of 4248 and 7828 (single-core and multi-core, respectively), versus your Mid-2013 i7 MBA which has 3356 single-core and 6234 multi-core.Sources: New model: https://www.macrumors.com/2018/11/01/first-macbook...
Your mid-2013 i7 model: https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/340
These are CPU tests, but the GPU and SSD are faster too, which should add to a better user experience.
digiguy - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
I can't believe people buy the idea of this being an update to the macbook air. This is just a tuned-down version of the entry level macbook pro with Core M and touch id and a slightly lower price. This has nothing to do with the macbook air... But good marketing move from apple, everybody is buying it...andersenep - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
well, considering my last macbook air was a 2011 model, this will be quite a step up for me. i was looking for a replacement for it even before the battery swelled about 4-5 months ago. bought and tried out an xps13-9350 about 1-2 years ago and quickly gave it to the wife.if the 12-inch macbook had a magsafe or 2nd usb-c port, i'd have bought it. the new air will suit me just fine for my needs for a long time.
nico_mach - Thursday, November 1, 2018 - link
I kind of agree, but you have to be specific about what you're disappointed about. Fingerprint reader is nice. I'm disappointed in the keyboard. A port on each side would have been better. And lower pricing for this or the macbook would have made more sense.Also, I agree with one of the blogs that said we should have had this years ago. I understand staggering releases for new platforms from the car industry - release the new mustang, then the new mustang convertible, then the high performance variants - BUT to your point, this is just a slightly worse MBP with a fingerprint reader. It could have been released with the MBP, and the chassis shape isn't really that important at these thicknesses.
The_Assimilator - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
"The [T2] chip ... serves as a (impressively high performance) SSD controller as well."Untrue; it serves as a pass-through encryption/decryption engine for the data on the SSD. In that regard it works much like BitLocker + TPM.
tipoo - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
It ate up the controller role as well.Eug - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
The i5-8210Y specs are odd in the context of the rest of the Amber Lake lineup. It's a part at 7 Watts standard, with a base clock of 1.6 GHz and a turbo of 3.6 GHz. In contrast, the i5-8200Y is a 5 Watt part with a base clock of 1.3 GHz and a turbo of 3.9 GHz. With TDP-up though the i5-8200Y 7 Watts with a base clock of 1.6 GHz and a turbo of 3.9 GHz. IOW, the i5-8200Y is faster at 7 Watts than the i5-8210Y at 7 Watts.OTOH, the specs of the i5-8210Y match up perfectly with the i7-7Y75 with TDP-up, specifically 7 Watts, 1.6 GHz base, and 3.6 GHz turbo. The GPU specs are the same too.
zodiacfml - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
No quad core? Great device for Netflix.Eug - Thursday, November 1, 2018 - link
Actually, it's not so great for Netflix. Netflix in macOS browsers do not allow us to download videos locally. In Apple's ecosystem, you need an iPad (or iPhone) with the Netflix app for that. In contrast to macOS, Netflix downloads are fully supported in Windows 10 with the Netflix app.GraXXoR - Friday, November 2, 2018 - link
Can’t wait for the upgrade mupp... er... I mean... dedicated customers... to buy this and offload their 2015 models on to Yahoo Auctions so I can pick one up at half the price.I used to be a massive apple fan through the Mac Classic, G3-5 and finally Intel, but their almost anti consumer practice of crippling machines and preventing upgrades means that 2011 was the last year that their products made economic sense to purchase for business use.
After that and you can’t even replace the effing hard disk yourself becuse they •literally• use sticky tape to hold their machines together.
Oxford Guy - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
Too bad Windows 10 is the worst version of Windows since ME. I just can't tolerate it. Even 8.1 offers a significantly better experience.shotta_t - Sunday, November 4, 2018 - link
What this new MBA does is free up the MacBook to go ARM at some point soon. The MBP non touchbar gets phased out. Possibly touchbar is dropped all together from MBP. Also, I would hope to see the MBA drop to $999 or go 256SSD, as 128 is ridiculous at this pricejameskatt - Sunday, November 4, 2018 - link
QUOTE: "Though it does seem to put a nail in the coffin of the idea of a sub-$1000 MacBook, especially as Apple seems more interested in moving those users on to the new iPad Pros."ANSWER: Wrong. Apple wants its customers to buy BOTH a Mac and an iPad (and an iPhone and AppleTV). They do not replace one another. Customers buy both.
Rizki - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
the article is very good to help us https://www.tourpaketwisatabromo.com/MilletKitty - Tuesday, November 13, 2018 - link
I purchased this MacBook Air with an upgraded hard drive. The employee accidentally upgraded the RAM to 16GB too. It was quite expensive and I didn't notice until later (don't ask). Question is, is the 16GB RAM upgrade worth it? Isn't it in less need considering it is not the fastest processor, and the graphics card isn't actually stellar? I don't run servers or anything. My pro has the 16GB and I do feel I need it on it, but the Air was being purchased for travel/education. Also, it says I'm using 7.60 GB of physical memory when I'm barely even running the programs I would normally run, which are really just readers/education applications. I am so confused. that seems like a lot. Anyone have thoughts?amosbatto - Friday, November 30, 2018 - link
This is planned obsolescence garbage. It has a non-removeable battery, that is glued in and extremely difficult to replace and soldered down RAM and SSD. If the motherboard dies, there is absolutely no way to recover your data, because Apple removed the internal connector on the motherboard for data recovery. When a 500 GB SSD costs $85, even Apple fanboys have to disgusting when Apple charges $200 to increase the size of SSD by 128 GB.At this point, the only reason to buy from Apple is the fact that the company promises to not share your data, but Purism Librem 13 does that so much better. I would love to see a review comparing the MBA to the Librem 13.
stickershock - Saturday, January 5, 2019 - link
Is the chip in the 2017 MacBook Air as future-proof for OS updates as the 2018 MacBook Air?