Looking At A New MacBook Air

[Naraxus]

So my beloved 2013 MBA finally went belly up after seven years. I could have got it repaired but I figured with the stimulus check, now's a perfect time to get a new one.

What are everyone's thoughts on the new ones? Likes? Dislikes?

 

[KPOM]

So my beloved 2013 MBA finally went belly up after seven years. I could have got it repaired but I figured with the stimulus check, now's a perfect time to get a new one.

What are everyone's thoughts on the new ones? Likes? Dislikes?

I'd go for it. The 2020 Airs are great, and I owned a 2013 Air back in the day. My suggestion is the i5 model (only a $100 upgrade over the base). The keyboard will be very much similar to what you are used to. I have been using the butterfly keyboard since the 2015 MacBook, so I need to get re-used to the extra key travel, but you won't notice any difference.

Don't worry about the threads you are seeing here about the CPU temperature or fans. Those people are trying to use the MacBook Air as if it were the Pro. The 2020 Air is about the same weight as yours, has a better display, and is far more powerful than what you have right now. I highly recommend it.
[automerge]1587088050[/automerge]
My likes:

1. The screen is better than I expected. I have used MacBook Pros. True, this screen isn't as good, but it's only noticeable viewed side by side.
2. The sloping design makes a big difference. The 13" MacBook Pro isn't that much bigger, but the Air seems more ergonomic.
3. The keyboard is good. I didn't mind the butterfly keyboard. I actually need to get myself re-used to the new "Magic" Keyboard. But it works very well.
4. The processor is capable for everyday tasks. This is not the MacBook Pro. Don't expect it to be. But it works fine for most people.
5. The chassis temperature is just fine. Even if the CPU is 100 degrees, you won't detect that when you are using it.
6. The trackpad is typical Apple sublime. No one else in the industry is even close.

Dislikes:

1. I was/am a big fan of the 12" MacBook. This is 40% heavier than that. Hopefully Apple re-releases a 12" version when they switch to ARM.
2. It is using 10W processors when competitors are using 15W processors. It does make a difference if you do anything processor-intensive. Most of the time I don't, so it's fine. But that could be an issue for some people. If so, the upcoming 13" Pro will be better for you.

 

[HopelesslyConfused]

Can we please just sticky this? KPOM has answered in a few hundred words what people have been writing novels over, and recording hundreds of hours of video about.

 

[dborja]

Yes, this is a very good write-up by KPOM. The MBAir is not an MBPro and it's not trying to be one. It is great as an everyday machine - I use it for email, word processing, spreadsheets, personal finance, tax filing, web browsing and running virtual machines (VMFusion). It augments my iMac and is quite an improvement over my 2015 MBAir. I'm not hung up on specs or cooling design either - I just use it. I've found that the Apple products that I've owned are well-designed for what they're intended for.

Funny how some purchases are for the sake of having a shiny new toy and are put on a pedestal and under a microscope instead of just being used for what it is.

 

[AirBud]

The 2020 i5 MacBook Air compared to my 2013 i7 13" MacBook Air:

-Way Better Screen (1600p vs. 900p, brighter, better colors)
-Better Speakers (Improved Bass is the most noticeable)
-Better keyboard (bigger but more shallow keys, great feel)
-More compact/modern, bigger trackpad
-Everything is faster inside (obviously) but similar battery life

I honestly think with a few tweaks Apple could have made the performance on this Air comparable to the current 13 Pro if there was a will (and profits to be had).

 

[rambo47]

Imagine what an upgrade it will be for me when I replace my Late-2010 MBA with a 2020 i5/16/512. My MBA was the bee's knees when I got it; Core2 Duo 2.13GHz, 4GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. But to say it's gotten long in the tooth is an understatement. Resizing pictures and running MS Office slows it down. And Adobe Photoshop Elements or software updates gets the fan spun up to high.