Is it just me or does the new MacBook Air look a lot like the 12-inch MacBook

[TheSkywalker77]

Throughout the reveal of the ‘new’ MacBook Air I kept thinking it looked a lot like the 12-inch MacBook. I understand they’re trying to refine their lineup and make their notebooks look similar but the MacBook Air was almost a 1:1 12-inch MacBook but with Touch ID.

 

[Ma2k5]

It's dimensions are almost identical to the nTB, just with tapering (although a higher maximum thickness) and it's a bit lighter.

 

[intz2nu]

I'm still trying to figure out the big differences between the two myself. They look almost identical honestly so the question is which does one purchase over the other? All that I see in its difference is the screen size, the keyboard has speakers next to it. I'm also disappointed that there's no pics showing the back or underside of the hinge its using.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Completely agree with you original poster…

Apple just couldn’t bring themselves to do what people really wanted which was basically a MacBook Air SE with retina screen…

They downgraded the CPU line and put the keyboard in there that is controversial and limited the ports and raised the prices.

This new “air” misses a lot of what people liked about the air

 

[QCassidy352]

The laptop line is so confusing now.

Air starts at $1200 with 128GB storage and an 8th gen i5 and two ports.

Pro starts at $1300 with the same storage and a 7th gen i5 and two ports.

MacBook starts at $1300 with 256 GB storage with a 7th gen m3 and one port.

They all have butterfly keyboard and retina displays, 12-13 inches.

I see almost no product differentiation at all...

 

[turbineseaplane]

The laptop line is so confusing now.

Air starts at $1200 with 128GB storage and an 8th gen i5 and two ports.

Pro starts at $1300 with the same storage and a 7th gen i5 and two ports.

MacBook starts at 256 GB storage with a 7th gen m3 and one port.

They all have butterfly keyboard and retina displays, 12-13 inches.

I see almost no product differentiation at all...

I called this approach to line up design… throwing Darts at the wall

 

[Falhófnir]

Definitely too many iterations of the 13" thin and lights - they really could have done with dropping the ntb pro if they were going this way with the new Air. That they've also kept the 2015 air on sale with no price cut or updates is baffling too!

 

[QCassidy352]

Definitely too many iterations of the 13" thin and lights - they really could have done with dropping the ntb pro if they were going this way with the new Air. That they've also kept the 2015 air on sale with no price cut or updates is baffling too!

Really confusing that they neither updated nor dropped the 13” nTB this year. I don’t understand its place at all after today.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Definitely too many iterations of the 13" thin and lights - they really could have done with dropping the ntb pro if they were going this way with the new Air. That they've also kept the 2015 air on sale with no price cut or updates is baffling too!

“Price cuts”?

Tim: laughing out loud

 

[stockscalper]

I love the old Air's keyboard. Still, where is the new one going to fit in the lineup? Are they going to goose up the specs on the ntb? I can't see them dropping it out of the product line since there is a consistency with style and look from the 12" on up the line. The MBA looks like the foster child of the laptop lineup.

 

[Falhófnir]

Really confusing that they neither updated nor dropped the 13” nTB this year. I don’t understand its place at all after today.

I guess it's the 'cheaper version of the more powerful 13" thin and light that gives you most of the features, and a more modest cut in power'? Not that that particularly rolls off the tongue It also puts the 12" MB in a bit of a weird spot, last gen chips, keyboard, and pricier to boot!

“Price cuts”?

Tim: laughing out loud

This is also the issue with the new one - in previous times you'd see inflated launch year prices, followed by a $1-200 cut a year or two later, and maybe even a further $100 cut in year 3-4. So you'd think, ok $1,199 now, but it's eventually going to settle down to $999. With the example the MacBook and MBPs have set I'm not so sure thats even going to happen

 

[Mopar]

Well, if the hinge and on the new MBA is as sturdy as the old one, then I would definitely prefer it over the 12" MB, which feels flimsy and is less powerful.

So OK, the MBA has the same footprint and screen as the 13" MBP, but it is a little lighter and - perhaps most importantly - it has a claimed 12 hours of battery life, which is two hours more than anything else.

And that alone is why I would consider an MBA over the others.

It was that combination of light weight and battery life that attracted me (and I suspect others) to the MBA to begin with. My wife replaced her old 13" MBA with a 13" nTB and has regretted it ever since. The keyboard obviously has a lot to do with that . . .

 

[rforno]

I would have gladly sacrificed the headphone jack --- or even a USB-3 port -- if they'd kept Magsafe. If the MBAir is still intended for road warriors or students or mobile folks, having Magsafe was an utter lifesaver to many of us over the years. While I like the new Air in many ways, I have to look at it from a functional (to me) perspective in my own use cases -- and right now I'm inclined to stay with my current MBA and the Magsafe which has come in handy on more than a few occassions both at home and when out/about. Sigh.