Apple kept the 2014 non-Retina MacBook Air through 2018. They also kept the 2012 non-Retina MacBook Pro with SuperDrive until 2017. The M1 Air seems like it will be the next model that hangs around for a long time and gets extended support.
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MacBook Air Buyer's Guide: Comparing the Generations
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Bear in mind the US prices don't include sales tax, so the prices usually balance out when you compare with the european prices (which do include sales tax/VAT etc)
Good point, but our tax here is way higher.
So no, it doesn't balance it out, but maybe a bit to the brighter end.
Well I did say usually 😉
Yep the Irish VAT rate is 23% and I believe Sweden is even higher.
I suppose the point I was trying to make is that the US prices shouldn't be taken at face value.
Yep the Irish VAT rate is 23% and I believe Sweden is even higher.
I suppose the point I was trying to make is that the US prices shouldn't be taken at face value.
It's hardly a rumor: There is no rest or downtime in the consumer electronics business. Apple is certainly working on new versions of every device they have announced, and all will need to sport performance and efficiency improvements in order to retain their position in the industry.
I told ChatGPT to summarize the bullet points into a table and it came up with this. Y'all really need to do better or AI will literally take over your jobs.
![1686712918000.png]( "1686712918000.png")
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All Macbook Air's with Apple silicon are great laptops.
Would like to see Macrumors put the Apple Refurb sale on blast. Obviously I don't expect their buyers guides to track every independent vendor's pricing but the M1 MBA is had for as little as $850 from the refurb center. I am still happy to recommend the M1 Air to anyone who's looking for an affordable way to get into MacOS but I definitely would advise against buying the machine new from Apple.
I got the 16GB/512GB/8-core CPU/10-core GPU 13.6" M2 MacBook Air last summer and it's been wonderful.
LOL! 😎
Over 1/3 of the entries in that table are blank! 😁
That is, the dash, which represents, according to ChatGPT, “specifications are not available or not specified for certain model”! 🙈 ❌ 👎🏽
Setting aside the contradiction in that disclaimer (“specifications are … not specified”) (send that to the Committee on Redundancy Committee), that product is akin to the hedging, and winging it, of an immature middle schooler — who didn’t take the time to do the assigned assignment!
The display sizes are “not specified” or “not available”?! 😹
The brightness couldn't be found?!😵💫
ChatGPT doesn’t know whether there's a headphone jack?!🙉 Or, which colors are available? And, so on…
Grade: F 🤢
Effort: U 🙄
ChatGPT needs to enroll in summer school and hit the books. 📚 🆘🚳🚭 📖
No MR jobs are on the line, at all!
ChatGPT took the data from the article to make the table. The point is not whether ChatGPT knows more, but is better able to present the same information in the article to be of use to the reader.
If anything, it's highlighting what the article lacks - even-sided comparison of features on both devices.
Fair enough — I missed the fact the bullet points came from MR's article! But that reinforces my point. After all, ChatGPT needed their article before it could produce the table…
So, how does it threaten their jobs?!
Creating a table from bullet points is no biggie — it certainly doesn't mean that ChatGPT is “better able to present the information”! 🙈 That’s projecting an intelligence and judgment on it that it doesn’t posses. After all, you had to direct it to produce the table. It didn't do that spontaneously!
Your instinct that a table would have been a helpful addition to the article is a good one, but that was *your* insight not ChatGPT's!
If an editor had asked MR's writers to create a table, they could readily have done so! But note something critical. The tech writers would have known to fill in the missing entries, something ChatGPT didn’t know to do.
By putting in dashes (blanks), ChatGPT misleads and misinforms readers. It claims that those specs aren't available or don't apply to certain models, when they are and do.
ChatGPT doesn’t know what it doesn’t know! ‼️
It also doesn't know what readers want or need… 😎
So, how does it threaten their jobs?!
Creating a table from bullet points is no biggie — it certainly doesn't mean that ChatGPT is “better able to present the information”! 🙈 That’s projecting an intelligence and judgment on it that it doesn’t posses. After all, you had to direct it to produce the table. It didn't do that spontaneously!
Your instinct that a table would have been a helpful addition to the article is a good one, but that was *your* insight not ChatGPT's!
If an editor had asked MR's writers to create a table, they could readily have done so! But note something critical. The tech writers would have known to fill in the missing entries, something ChatGPT didn’t know to do.
By putting in dashes (blanks), ChatGPT misleads and misinforms readers. It claims that those specs aren't available or don't apply to certain models, when they are and do.
ChatGPT doesn’t know what it doesn’t know! ‼️
It also doesn't know what readers want or need… 😎
You're being weirdly defensive about this. ChatGPT (and generative AI in general) is in its nascent stages - right now it doesn't have access to a live feed of data to be able to provide up-to-date information - this is why I had to feed it information.
Declaring that it was "my insight" is disingenuous - it's a generative AI, designed to generate things - like an article. It just needs source input. With enough training, it will recognize that a table is the best format to present comparative data.
Right now it's an excellent tool - one that can generate much better data given the right input / prompt. Over time it'll get good enough to produce full articles, with access to live, accurate and up to date information.
This isn't a bad thing. It frees up people to perform more analytical work, not regurgitate search results (incomplete at that!) in bullet points. For example, being able to draw up the table makes it easy to spot missing information - bullet points do not.
I'm not "projecting intelligence and judgement" - but I am judging the "intelligence and judgement" in the original article - it is terrible.
While I agree that Apple should drop the price of the M1, I just bought a refurbished M1 with 16GB Ram and a 512GB SSD for $806 from Amazon with the 4 year extended warranty. I did my research on Amazon Refurb and the warranty company (most aftermarket one's are worth the paper they're written on) and could return it for a full refund within 90 days as well. I was blown by my Mac. Looks new, not a scratch mark or ding, perfect shape! Runs like a dream. If I did buy it new I'd buy the M2 with Apple Care.![]()
Apple's MacBook Air has undergone major changes in recent years, with several significant generational improvements – making it all the more important to consider if now is a good time to upgrade or even if an older model will suffice for your needs.
![MacBook-Air-15-Inch-Feature-Yellow.jpg]()
In 2022, Apple introduced a substantial refresh for the MacBook Air featuring a complete redesign and the M2 chip. One year later, it added a variant of the same machine with a larger, 15-inch display. Both the 2018 and 2020 Intel-based MacBook Air models have been discontinued. Apple still sells a MacBook Air with this design, the 2020 model with the M1 chip starting at $999 – the cheapest MacBook Air available from the company today, and even lower prices may be found with third-party retailers or second-hand. In terms of the latest models, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air starts at $1,099, while the 15-inch M2 model starts at $1,299.
See the breakdown below for each new feature, change, and improvement that was added with each MacBook Air model since 2018 compared to its direct predecessor:
MacBook Air (M2, 2022/2023)
- Thinner design with flat lid, rounded bottom edges, and uniform thickness
- 13.6- or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display
- Apple M2 chip
- Up to 10-core GPU
- Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW
- ProRes encode and decode engine
- Up to 24GB unified memory
- 100GB/s memory bandwidth
- 500 nits brightness
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera
- Four-speaker sound system or six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers
- 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones
- Bluetooth 5.3
- MagSafe 3
- Fast-charge capable with available 70W USB‑C Power Adapter
- Available in Silver, Space Gray, Starlight, and Midnight
- 1.24 kg (2.7 pounds) or 1.51 kg (3.3 pounds)
MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
- Apple M1 chip
- 8-core CPU
- Up to 8-core GPU
- Media engine
- Hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC
- Video decode engine
- Video encode engine
- 16-core Neural Engine
- Up to 16GB unified memory
- 62.5GB/s memory bandwidth
- Wide colour (P3)
- Image signal processor with computational video
- Up to 18-hour battery life
MacBook Air (Intel, 2020)
- Up to Intel Core i7 processor
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics GPU
- Up to 2TB storage
- Magic Keyboard
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 1.29 kg (2.8 pounds)
MacBook Air (Intel, 2018)
- Tapered "wedge" design
- 13.3-inch Retina display
- Up to Intel Core i5 processor
- Up to 4-core CPU
- Intel UHD Graphics 617
- Up to 16GB memory
- Up to 1.5TB storage
- Butterfly Keyboard
- 400 nits brightness
- Full standard colour (sRGB)
- 720p FaceTime HD camera
- Stereo speakers
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 802.11ac Wi‑Fi 6
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Up to 12-hour battery life
- Available in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold
- 1.25 kg (2.75 pounds)
While the M1 MacBook Air is ostensibly good value for money at $999 and can be found even cheaper with education pricing and elsewhere via third-party retailers, it is notable that the M2 13-inch MacBook Air is now just $1,099. 2018 or 2020 Intel MacBook Air users will still benefit from upgrading to the M1 MacBook Air, but given that it is only $100 cheaper than the M2 model – they are much better off upgrading to the latest model. $100 is a comparatively small price to pay for a much newer machine with a more modern design, the M2 chip, a larger and brighter display, faster memory, a 1080p camera, better speakers, MagSafe 3, fast-charging, and more.
Most M1 MacBook Air users will still stand to benefit from upgrading to the M2 model, especially if they are looking for a bigger screen and opt for the 15-inch model, but some will be better off waiting for the next major refresh. Apple is already rumored to be working on new MacBook Air models featuring the M3 chip for release in 2024, sporting substantial performance and efficiency improvements.
Article Link: MacBook Air Buyer's Guide: Comparing the Generations
Adrian the performance of the M1 vs. Intel blew me away. Major leap forward.
As I mentioned, performance of my MBA is fine. So even if the M1 is much faster ... I don't need it.
A new battery in a 2012 MacBook Air can still provide around 6 hours of runtime, which, with regular charging (and the convenience of MagSafe!), should be sufficient for most people's needs.
When you say it 'blew the doors off,' are you referring to the upgraded speakers and screen? Those are certainly nice improvements, and I can see how they might be worth the $900 for many people. However, it's interesting to describe it as a dramatic leap forward for emails and web browsing.
I jumped right from that last Intel Air to the M1 Air. I've been buying Macs for a long time, and this was by far the most dramatic jump in performance I've ever experienced. I pounced on that Intel Air when it came out because I'd been waiting years for them to stop using Butterfly keyboards. I was very happy with it until I started playing around with an M1 Air. Triple the battery life, zero fan, and what felt like double the performance. It made that i5 Intel Air look like garbage by comparison.
I love the way he starts by pointing out that the 2012 MBA base RAM and storage specs are the same as the latest Macs. How long will Apple manage to keep that up, I wonder?
2012 13" MBA base came with 4GB.
People were whining about 4GB then just like you're whining about 8GB now.
I'm so unbelievably sick of people whining about base configurations. If you don't want a base configuration, don't buy a base configuration. What is it to you if I'm perfectly happy with my base config 8GB MBA?
Probably about as long as people feel compelled to make 10,000 comments on it in every possible thread?
The price of the entry level MacBook Air has barely budged in fifteen years, even in the face of inflation. Treat yourself to the 16GB of RAM you apparently need. People who need 8GB will save the $200.
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