What exactly was "taken away" from you?
Well, nothing yet since I raced in to buy my MBA in Aug 2014 while it still had Mavericks instead of the Fisher Price My First Computer-looking Yosemite OSX, but I do fear losing certain user flexibility/convenience/ease-of-use elements that keep getting stripped away each year:
Magsafe
# of ports
USB-C ports only, forcing having to buy & carry dongles or invest in more/newer devices, including port banks in order to connect more than 3 items simultaneously & still charge during use.
Headphone jack
Physical function keys/buttons, for instantaneous access to many key functions (brightness, volume, play/stop)
Hinged/tactile trackpad (do not like Force Touch)
Battery life & expandability in the name of thinness
Home button (iPhone)
All these are maybe deemed attractive for marketing, and to appease Jony's fetish for using the least amount of substance possible, but enough is getting to be enough IMHO, where the absence of certain things is being felt too much, too often, at least to me.
So you prefer a slower and harder to use machine. Got it.
Ok, just glad to see you've acknowledged that the Macbook Air is NOT the macbook. I agree on magsafe personally, but the rest is a literal hogepodge of different devices (one's even a phone) so it reads as a "here are all my gripes" instead of "here's my critique of a specific product".
I just got one last year. Reliable, affordable machine.
The current MacBook Air would be much, much faster and probably less than half the price you paid last time. If a 2005 laptop still works for you, I can’t imagine you’d be anything but amazed by a $999 base model MacBook Air.I’m looking to replace my 2005 PowerBook and the MBA looks ideal for my needs. The legacy USB port is something I need and I don’t want to deal with adapters or new cables needed with the MBP.
..and its still continuing going strong as ever after 10 years ..
And we all thought it would be the end of it.... Well .... Apple doesn't think so. if they still sell it.
And thus began Apple's obsession with thinness to the exclusion of everything else. Though I think Steve understood thinness has its place and should be limited to that place, post-Jobs Apple has totally lost sight of this and is losing its core base because of it.
Still proudly rocking the 11" Air. Tried the first-generation Retina MacBook as a potential replacement, but the keyboard was trash, the battery life was not great, it felt sluggish, I missed Magsafe a lot, and the port situation was just a pain in the a** to deal with on a daily basis. First Mac in 25 years I've ever hated as soon as I got it. Got rid of it and never looked back.
Sure, the MBA screen is way less nice, but you know what? It's absolutely fine for web and email and writing. It's running High Sierra like a champ and the latest versions of every piece of software I use. I bought a replacement battery from OWC (the current battery has a lot of cycles on it after 4 years) and once I make the swap I expect at least a couple more years of productive use out of it.
I disagree that "most people" want something an nth degree thinner at the expense of functionality. Some do, but not most.You’re misreading the situation. Apple makes their laptops lighter and thinner because that’s what most people want. And Jobs had no problem dumping older tech that got in the way.
Same with iPhones, most users want lighter and thinner, not heavier and thicker.
I disagree that "most people" want something an nth degree thinner at the expense of functionality. Some do, but not most.
Regardless, Apple had never been about "what most people want". They were about the best tools, elegance, and enabling you to do what you want to do, how you want to do it. "Most people" did not support Apple (Computers -- remember that part?) when they were hanging on by a thread in the mid-late 90's -- it was people like me who thought they had the best tools to do what I want to do who kept them afloat. They have almost completely lost sight of what made them what they were, and how they got there.
The current laptop line is very, very Apple. The thinnest, lightest (and yes, most elegant) laptops they’ve ever made, with the most powerful CPUs, largest and fastest SSDs, best display, with great battery life.I disagree that "most people" want something an nth degree thinner at the expense of functionality. Some do, but not most.
Regardless, Apple had never been about "what most people want". They were about the best tools, elegance, and enabling you to do what you want to do, how you want to do it. "Most people" did not support Apple (Computers -- remember that part?) when they were hanging on by a thread in the mid-late 90's -- it was people like me who thought they had the best tools to do what I want to do who kept them afloat. They have almost completely lost sight of what made them what they were, and how they got there.
This thread delivered what I hoped it wouldn't but not surprised it did.
There are those who "get" the Macbook Air and why it is still preferred today, and those that don't. Not "getting it" is NOT an indication of any lack of intelligence or any other deficiency. It is simply a matter of personal preferences and needs. No amount of spec sheet comparisons will change one's preference of a Macbook Air over a retina Macbook.
Ounce for ounce, inch for inch, my 2014 4GB/128GB 11" Macbook Air is the most powerful (getting things done, not benchmark numbers) mobile device for productivity I've owned. (and I have and still own a LOT of devices) My 12.9 iPad Pro + ASK cannot hold a candle to it in that department. It isn't even close.
But for a more casual and more "direct" (for lack of a better word) interaction, the iPad most definitely wins.
The days of the Macbook Air (13") are numbered. The 11" MBA is already gone. I hope that Apple produces something that meets my needs that the 11" MBA currently does before I need to replace it.
They used units appear to be still available. Why not just get one again?I'm with you on all counts here. I had 2 of the 11 inch MacBook Airs, the first version, and a slightly faster one a couple of years later. Having used Macs since 1984 they were my favourite Macs ever, bar none. Great compact size, fantastic battery life, just enough connectors, and in the BTO versions I had, fast enough for anything I threw at them - which was quite a lot - iMovie, Final Cut Pro, minor sound editing, video encoding, mid-level graphic design of all types, and even some CAD. I ran video and sound systems for large public events on the adorable little things!
As you say, they were powerful in the ways that matter. They weren't remotely what most would consider a "Pro" machine, but in reality they were highly capable, productive, yet humble little devices.
The BTO MacBook I replaced my 11 MacBook Air with is quite a nice evolution of this form, it's just not quite as "perfect". The size is fine, I've learned to live with the single USB-C port and the retina screen is great. The keyboard is it's real failing. I've adjusted to it, but it's undeniably a compromised design.
But I still miss my 11 inch MacBook Air, I regret having sold it.
In my romantic reverie about this, I did momentarily consider it. Apple Australia are still selling refurbs (low spec though). But I've got substantial investment in USB-C hubs and matching gold accessories for my Gold MacBook now. And while I complain about it's keyboard (like nearly everyone), I do love the screen. I'll update next time they rev the MacBook, and perhaps the marginally improved keyboard they're now putting in them will get it there. I do generally like the MacBook - it's just that darn keyboard.They used units appear to be still available. Why not just get one again?
I meant they’re a hodgepodge because your crossing randomly into devices that aren’t even remotely in the same category.So MagSafe is ok since you agree but the rest are hodgepodge personal gripes?All listed other than home button (and maybe the headphone jack?) apply to Apple’s direction with the latest touchbar MBP and MB, which I fear being shlonged onto any next-gen MBA.
Today marks the tenth anniversary of the late Steve Jobs unveiling the MacBook Air, the world's thinnest notebook at the time.
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After introducing the AirPort Time Capsule and sharing some iPhone and Apple TV news, Jobs walked over to his podium, grabbed a manilla envelope, and pulled out the sleek MacBook Air. The crowd at Macworld erupted with applause as Jobs held the ultra-light notebook in the palm of his hand.
The thinness came at a cost. The base model ran $1,799 for a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive. A maxed out version was also available for $3,098, around $300 more than the base Mac Pro at the time, with a faster 1.8GHz processor and a 64GB solid-state drive.
MacBook Air was all about firsts. The notebook was Apple's first without a CD/DVD drive, first to ditch a range of ports and connectivity options, first with a multi-touch trackpad, first to have the option for SSD storage, first to weigh just three pounds or less, and first with a mercury-free display.
A single design decision also epitomized the past decade of Apple: a flip-down door on the right side of the machine provided access to only a single USB port, a headphone jack, and a micro-DVI port.
We've seen Apple go down this path many times since: it introduced the MacBook with just a single USB-C port, reduced the MacBook Pro's connectivity to Thunderbolt 3 ports, and removed the headphone jack on the iPhone 7. Each change generated controversy, but ultimately set the course for its future.
Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels has shared a great piece titled The MacBook Air: A Decade's Worth of Legacy over at MacStories that dives into the notebook's history. He also put together the video below.
A decade later, the MacBook Air remains a product in Apple's lineup, but likely only because it is a lower-cost option. Beyond a minor speed bump last June, the notebook hasn't been updated since March 2015, and it very well may be discontinued once Apple feels able to sell its 12-inch MacBook for around $999.
Article Link: Steve Jobs Introduced the MacBook Air Exactly 10 Years Ago Today
Wow! What is scary is your experience is exactly like mine, and from what I can tell many many people are completely unsatisfied with Tim Cook's horrible hardware offering.