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Steve Jobs Introduced the MacBook Air Exactly 10 Years Ago Today
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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.
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.
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 gone (dumbest move ever)
# of ports reduced
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 gone
Physical function keys/buttons, for instantaneous access to many key functions (brightness, volume, play/stop)
Hinged/tactile trackpad gone (do not like Force Touch)
Intuitive and attractive UI in OSX that still looks like an Apple product replaced with made-up UI elements based on Jony’s preference and not established UI principles and packaged in a Microsoft/Android/Google material design skin.
Battery life & expandability stagnant in the name of thinness
Home button gone (iPhone), a bad omen for future physical buttons.
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.
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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".
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.
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The original MacBook Air (2008) is the device that seduced me away from Windows and onto OSX.
2 further MacBook Airs (2010 and 2013) and now a MacBook (2016) and I'm still here
Still think Apple missed a trick not putting a retina screen in the MacBook Air body though, which would have been my ideal device.
2 further MacBook Airs (2010 and 2013) and now a MacBook (2016) and I'm still here
Still think Apple missed a trick not putting a retina screen in the MacBook Air body though, which would have been my ideal device.
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..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.
This may be my next Macbook (yes, i'm downgrading from a 'pro')
I bet you'll still see even today that same paper envelope with the MBA sliding it out... That part always grips me, and still continues to do that today
I'm not sure why... .
It is still better than carrying an Incase sleeve round with you.
And we all thought it would be the end of it.... Well .... Apple doesn't think so. if they still sell it.
This may be my next Macbook
(yes, i'm downgrading from a 'pro')I bet you'll still see even today that same paper envelope with the MBA sliding it out... That part always grips me, and still continues to do that today
I'm not sure why... .
It is still better than carrying an Incase sleeve round with you.
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IMHO its staying power really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone once you take a moment to think about (and question) the need for "reinvention" in Apple laptops. I won't suggest there's no room left for major reinvention in laptops, but...if the MacBook is a (potentially forced) "reinvention" that could be thought of as slotting in between the MBA & MBP if one needed to categorize things, and if the MBA (hopefully) sticks around as the "budget and more-flexible-in-many-ways" laptop vs. the MBP's and MB's, then what could possibly "replace" the MBA other than some forced retiring of the MBA and rechristening of something kinda like the MBA but not called an MBA?
Seeing how iPhones get "reinvented" and reshaped, wouldn't that be something if Apple came out with an even more-budget-minded MacBook somewhat like the old plastic white ones --- slightly thicker with a bigger replaceable battery, more ports, and swappable drives & memory?
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.
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.
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.
Amen. Well said. Similarly, most people aren’t demanding their software to look as flat and minimalist and modern as possible. Just like thickness or streamlining of ports, I’m pretty convinced most people will take what they’re offered. Only a small minority of users and minimalist design gurus strongly desire a certain modern, simplistic, “uncluttered” look or uber thinness.
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.
Some don’t like the keyboard or port selection, but Apple has made the engineering trade offs necessary to make what they think is their best laptop ever. You may disagree, but Apple is never going to be able to make everyone happy, and they’re ok with that.
No matter what they make, 100 of 100 users will never say: yes, that’s it... that’s my perfect laptop.
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.
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.
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They used units appear to be still available. Why not just get one again?
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.
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?
I miss Steve. He was a great sales person. Watching the video make me want to buy the Macbook Air again...
Today marks the tenth anniversary of the late Steve Jobs unveiling the MacBook Air, the world's thinnest notebook at the time.
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
And that was the right time to invest EVERYTHING in Apple stock.
I am still holding on to my 2012 11” MBA because none of Apple’s current laptop offerings particularly appeal to me. Might get a 13” MBP without Touchbar if my current air kicks the bucket, but I see myself hanging on to it for as long as it has an ounce of breath in it.