Why have Apple ruined the MacBook Air design?

[BellSystem]

According to Apple they all weigh the same 2.8 pounds with minor variations based on manufacturing process. Do you really think an i3 weighs a different amount than an i5 or i7?

Then maybe there is something about the weight distribution that throws it off. I wish I didn't junk all of the i3s now. Oh well.

 

[Falhófnir]

I'm not a huge fan of the new design language, but hoping it will work nicely for the rumoured 15" size, that may or may not have looked a little odd with the previous wedge design. I do think the thinner Air looks better with it than the thicker Pros (as it doesn't disguise the thickness anymore).

 

[Eric Idle]

I looked at the new M2 MacBook Air in an Apple Store recently and came away thinking how thankful I was for going ahead with my purchase of the previous wedge-shaped MacBook Air. I was hoping the new MBA would look better in reality than the photos and videos I'd seen online, but it actually looked worse. The flat design is boring and already looks outdated, it was covered in smudges and fingerprints, and the notch and Touch ID button on the keyboard both stick out like a sore thumb. It just lacks that sleek perfection that the previous MBA design had, which actually looks more futuristic now than the new M2 MBA. I just don't understand why Apple is doing this, taking big backward steps with the look and feel of their products. They've already done this with the new iMac, and MacBook Pro, and now the new MacBook Air. Moreover, the new Apple Watch Ultra is the ugliest device they've created in years. Why are they doing this? The reason I loved Apple products in the first place was the sleek minimalism and beautiful aesthetics of their products but they are slowly eroding that approach to design. Is it because Jony Ive has left?

I was disappointed with the new Air design. I liked the old one and as I replaced my Intel MacBook Air with the new M2 I thought it was a step down. 1 week with the new computer and I would never go back to the old design. It's easily, by far, THE most comfortable to use laptop I've ever had. Best keyboard, best screen, gorgeous colors (I have the Midnight color) ever.

 

[Eric Idle]

Wrong. There is a reason the new M2 Air is the worst selling Apple product in 25 years. As the OP already suggested, outdated design in comparison to the wedge, cheaper build quality and the M1 Air is as powerful if not more powerful than the M2 in most common circumstances, and over half the price cheaper. There is also a reason why the midnight colour has only sold 26,000 units globally since the M2 air was released in comparison to the M1 Air which has sold in its millions form day one

You have ZERO sales numbers to back up your ludicrous claims.

 

[Looney01]

I think all you peasants forget why it’s called the MacBook AIR. It’s designed to be as thin and light as possible. It’s not called MacBook Wedge to please all you peasants! Be done with your whining ye peasants!

 

[JustAnExpat]

Wrong. There is a reason the new M2 Air is the worst selling Apple product in 25 years.

Source please? Apple doesn't break down sales numbers to my knowledge.

 

[JustAnExpat]

Now we're talking. Color is one of the ways to push design all over the place without affecting function, and Apple historically (at least since Jobs' return) has never shied away from embracing some wild shades (The Flower Power iMac! God that was ugly, and yet... oddly appealing at the same time).

The CRT iMacs [excluding the education models] were only on sale for three years :O They were sold from May, 1998 with the "boring" indigo color, to the early 2001 model with the "flower power" and "blue Dalmatian", to the Summer 2001 model with the more boring "Graphite" and "Snow". For the iBooks, the colorful clamshells were only sold from July 1999 to May 2001, where they became the more traditional white (and sometimes black) colors.

In January 2002, they released the iMac with the flat panel ("desk lamp"), in the white color and only white color. White (and sometimes black) was continued being used by Apple until Steve's death in 2011 - excluding the iPod Nanos/ Shuffles.

Color started returning in 2013 with the iPhone 5c, and then with muted colors starting with the iPhone 6. Only with the iMac (2021) and the iPad (2022) did bright colors return.

 

[smoking monkey]

I looked at the new M2 MacBook Air in an Apple Store recently and came away thinking how thankful I was for going ahead with my purchase of the previous wedge-shaped MacBook Air. I was hoping the new MBA would look better in reality than the photos and videos I'd seen online, but it actually looked worse. The flat design is boring and already looks outdated, it was covered in smudges and fingerprints, and the notch and Touch ID button on the keyboard both stick out like a sore thumb. It just lacks that sleek perfection that the previous MBA design had, which actually looks more futuristic now than the new M2 MBA. I just don't understand why Apple is doing this, taking big backward steps with the look and feel of their products. They've already done this with the new iMac, and MacBook Pro, and now the new MacBook Air. Moreover, the new Apple Watch Ultra is the ugliest device they've created in years. Why are they doing this? The reason I loved Apple products in the first place was the sleek minimalism and beautiful aesthetics of their products but they are slowly eroding that approach to design. Is it because Jony Ive has left?

I anlmost agree with everything you’ve written. I own a 16” MBP M1 and find the design to be like that of a bus or tank. Sure it’s a fantastic computer but the design is average. I think the blocky design looks better on the Air than the MBPs but still prefer the wedge design. One thing I don’t care about is the notch on the MBP. I never see it with a dark background and it give more space. And yep, the Ultra is the ugliest thing Apple has released in a decade.

This is all my opinion of course but from an aesthetic POV the new kit is definitely worse looking than the old kit. That’s pretty hard to argue against IMO. I understand why Apple have done it though - they given people more powerful machines. Personally I’d rather a lighter and sleeker MBP that retains 80percent of the power of the M1. There are trade offs for design.

 

[mectojic]

The CRT iMacs [excluding the education models] were only on sale for three years :O They were sold from May, 1998 with the "boring" indigo color, to the early 2001 model with the "flower power" and "blue Dalmatian", to the Summer 2001 model with the more boring "Graphite" and "Snow". For the iBooks, the colorful clamshells were only sold from July 1999 to May 2001, where they became the more traditional white (and sometimes black) colors.

In January 2002, they released the iMac with the flat panel ("desk lamp"), in the white color and only white color. White (and sometimes black) was continued being used by Apple until Steve's death in 2011 - excluding the iPod Nanos/ Shuffles.

Color started returning in 2013 with the iPhone 5c, and then with muted colors starting with the iPhone 6. Only with the iMac (2021) and the iPad (2022) did bright colors return.

Mostly correct, with a few minor problems.
Color came back not with the iPhone 5c, but the iPod Mini in 2004 (even hot pink!) - and, iPods all the way up to their end this year came in colors.
The original iMac was Bondi Blue; blueberry (and 4 other fruit colors) in 1999, graphite in 1999-2001, the more muted blue called Indigo from 2000-2001. Apple minimalism basically took off in 2001-2002 for their Macs. No colorful Macs from 2001-2021, other than Rose Gold appearing in 2015 with the Macbook.

 

[brandoman]

So it's a you issue because you have an absurd amount of items on your menu bar. Got it

Seriously just turn Scale to Fit on. That's what it's there for when there's more menu bar items than normal.

This amount worked before the notch. The notch just made it all worse. Turning on scale-to-fit just makes the screen size even smaller. Dumb move on Apple's part.

 

[Technerd108]

I looked at the new M2 MacBook Air in an Apple Store recently and came away thinking how thankful I was for going ahead with my purchase of the previous wedge-shaped MacBook Air. I was hoping the new MBA would look better in reality than the photos and videos I'd seen online, but it actually looked worse. The flat design is boring and already looks outdated, it was covered in smudges and fingerprints, and the notch and Touch ID button on the keyboard both stick out like a sore thumb. It just lacks that sleek perfection that the previous MBA design had, which actually looks more futuristic now than the new M2 MBA. I just don't understand why Apple is doing this, taking big backward steps with the look and feel of their products. They've already done this with the new iMac, and MacBook Pro, and now the new MacBook Air. Moreover, the new Apple Watch Ultra is the ugliest device they've created in years. Why are they doing this? The reason I loved Apple products in the first place was the sleek minimalism and beautiful aesthetics of their products but they are slowly eroding that approach to design. Is it because Jony Ive has left?

I couldn't disagree more. I hated all of the older designs using the wedge shape. It looked the opposite of industrial design and more like a fashion designer product. It sacrificed function just to be thin. Like the MacBook Pro's with wedge design everything was done to make them thin with less ports even though they were supposed to be "Pro" machines.

The new designs are finally a return to true industrial design with simple shapes and more defined design language. Also the new designs allow for more performance without sacrificing size. I like the box shape design so much better. No more sliding off my lap.

The notch is a non issue and if it gives more screen I am happy. Maybe you would like a pill cut out instead. Lol. If anything I rather have a notch than a pill cutout.

Smudges are only an issue on the colors like space grey and midnight. And space grey finish is exactly the same as the M1 MBA.

The new M2 MBA has a bigger screen without the ugly huge bezels. It has Magsafe. It has a better keyboard.

To me the wedge shape looks super antiquated and old not futuristic at all. They look like dinosaurs. Apple has finally moved on to more futuristic and minimalistic industrial design and stopped trying to make Macs a fashion statement and more a real computer.

Everyone has an opinion when designs change and there are always those who cling to the past because they don't like change. Change is the only constant in the tech world.

I bet you don't like new MacOS releases either?

 

[Technerd108]

I anlmost agree with everything you’ve written. I own a 16” MBP M1 and find the design to be like that of a bus or tank. Sure it’s a fantastic computer but the design is average. I think the blocky design looks better on the Air than the MBPs but still prefer the wedge design. One thing I don’t care about is the notch on the MBP. I never see it with a dark background and it give more space. And yep, the Ultra is the ugliest thing Apple has released in a decade.

This is all my opinion of course but from an aesthetic POV the new kit is definitely worse looking than the old kit. That’s pretty hard to argue against IMO. I understand why Apple have done it though - they given people more powerful machines. Personally I’d rather a lighter and sleeker MBP that retains 80percent of the power of the M1. There are trade offs for design.

I don't understand this point t of view? The new M1 MBP is a piece of art in industrial design.

If you want less power in your MBP and less ports then you don't need a Macbook Pro! Apple has finally delivered a true "Pro" laptop that is a masterpiece of power and function.

The engraved MacBook Pro on the bottom plate, the 6 speakers the ports, the design, the screen size all equate to a powerful and useful device that also looks great, tough and ready for business.

I will agree the weight of the 16" is a brick but it has proper cooling and a super solid chassis.

Either you want a "Pro" laptop and need it or you don't. Get a Macbook Air if thin and light is your thing. You would be pretty surprised by the power and performance in a fanless laptop in the M2 MBA!

 

[Ethosik]

We need to stop wanting form over function. It’s what hurt macs for so long. The new MacBook pros are finally good again. Macs sucked (IMO) after the 2012 last Mac Pro and the 2015 last “good” MacBook Pro.

As someone who despises all in ones, there was really no good Mac since 2015 until recently.

 

[brandoman]

If you mean the menubar items on the right, those have been a problem for years even before the notch came along. Many of us got Bartender to be able to move the less useful icons to another area. It and some clone apps work well for that. I've only got 6 icons show and about 18 in the Bartender overflow panel.

Thanks for the help. Should not be an issue, but Apple decided to make it one. Bartender looks like a good alternative until Apple fixes the notch.

 

[Ethosik]

I'm sorry where the hell were you during the Macbook Pro's dark age from 2016 to late 2019?

Yep. That video was spot on. My opinion of the Mac tanked during this time. I started to hate the platform. Now I got a M1 Mac Mini, M1 Max 16” MacBook Pro and an M1 Ultra Mac Studio. Flipping FINALLY something between a Mac mini and a Mac Pro that’s not a crappy All in One. Sorry I just despise all in ones, if you like them great!

 

[Ethosik]

Sorry to rub you a little bit on this one. Notch on MacBook is one of the stupidest design compromise ever, more so when the camera array doesn’t house Face ID. They could’ve made the notch thinner but didn’t for various reasons. That extra screen space got cut in half and make menubar looks incomplete, and way thicker than before. Yes, you get more “Content”, but at the expense of menubar usable space.

I agree with other stuff you are mentioning there.

Hard disagree. I have a few windows laptops and they have thicker top bezels and thin left/right. This is needed for the webcam. It looks ugly. The MacBook Pro looks far better. Plus we get more screen estate with the notch. Win win.

 

[Tagbert]

Thanks for the help. Should not be an issue, but Apple decided to make it one. Bartender looks like a good alternative until Apple fixes the notch.

Nothing needs to be fixed. the notch is a good solution to fitting camera and related components into a small case without making big bezels. If you have a lot of app icons, there is some additional risk that you might need an app like Bartender but that's about it. It's not like you are guaranteed to have too many icons or need some overflow. It really depends on the apps you have installed some apps put more icons in the bar than others.

 

[Shirasaki]

Hard disagree. I have a few windows laptops and they have thicker top bezels and thin left/right. This is needed for the webcam. It looks ugly. The MacBook Pro looks far better. Plus we get more screen estate with the notch. Win win.

More screen Space at the expense of menubar space. Sure. I see lots of people ok with that sacrifice.

 

[macsound1]

We need to stop wanting form over function. It’s what hurt macs for so long. The new MacBook pros are finally good again. Macs sucked (IMO) after the 2012 last Mac Pro and the 2015 last “good” MacBook Pro.

As someone who despises all in ones, there was really no good Mac since 2015 until recently.

It's true, MBPs are finally good again.
But that doesn't mean all Macs need to be so spectacular.

Some do need to be form over function. In many respects, that's what the MacBook Air was designed to be.
And that's why people shelled out $2700 for the original model. Slow hard drive, crappy screen, flop down USB door. But an exec who didn't need any speed was thrilled to toss their 5lb grey dell.

I truly think the M2 MBA should have been the new MacBook. The EveryMan's Mac.
The MacBook Air should be thin and light and have compromises to make it that way.

 

[smoking monkey]

If you want less power in your MBP and less ports then you don't need a Macbook Pro!

Your take is often one from those with little world experience who think the world is the same as theirs.

Either you want a "Pro" laptop and need it or you don't.

What is this “Pro”? Why the inverted commas? So it’s not really a pro machine?

With advice like that Apple could employ you to work for them and guide everybody’s buying options.

Get a Macbook Air if thin and light is your thing. You would be pretty surprised by the power and performance in a fanless laptop in the M2 MBA!

Thanks for the advice. If I need some more advice I will DM you if that’s okay!

 

[Technerd108]

Your take is often one from those with little world experience who think the world is the same as theirs.

What is this “Pro”? Why the inverted commas? So it’s not really a pro machine?

With advice like that Apple could employ you to work for them and guide everybody’s buying options.

Thanks for the advice. If I need some more advice I will DM you if that’s okay!

You obviously need a lot of advice or maybe something else. I am not giving advice, just an opinion. Relax. You can disagree. It is your opinion.

You must have much more important real world experience. Have a nice day.

 

[Haribokart]

Your take is often one from those with little world experience who think the world is the same as theirs.

What is this “Pro”? Why the inverted commas? So it’s not really a pro machine?

With advice like that Apple could employ you to work for them and guide everybody’s buying options.

Thanks for the advice. If I need some more advice I will DM you if that’s okay!

What on earth is this response? Dude was just trying to help.

 

[Vazor]

The problem with these ‘new’ Macs is that they are still using the notch, which is already outdated.

 

[smoking monkey]

You obviously need a lot of advice or maybe something else. I am not giving advice, just an opinion. Relax. You can disagree. It is your opinion.

You must have much more important real world experience. Have a nice day.

Haha. I did disagree. So why reply? Relax. Besides, your opinion is just a really ignorant one to be fair. No harm in getting called out when we say silly things. Happens to all of us.

Anyway, I personally don’t think the design is ruined but I don’t like the direction Apple is headed and I think the recent article about Apple’s design philosophy backs this up.

I will have a nice day. Thank you. You too.

 

[Technerd108]

Haha. I did disagree. So why reply? Relax. Besides, your opinion is just a really ignorant one to be fair. No harm in getting called out when we say silly things. Happens to all of us.

Anyway, I personally don’t think the design is ruined but I don’t like the direction Apple is headed and I think the recent article about Apple’s design philosophy backs this up.

I will have a nice day. Thank you. You too.

Why not reply?

How exactly was my opinion ignorant?

I am not getting called out on anything.

I think we know who is saying silly things and it is not me.

If Apple has made such poor design decisions in regards to the MacBook Pro redesign then why has it been such a huge success? Seems like most people like the design direction they have taken.

2021 Mac shipments grew twice as fast as overall PC shipments - 9to5Mac

A new report shows that 2021 Mac shipments grew almost twice as fast as the PC market as a whole. Annual growth for Mac was 28.3% ...

www.google.com

But I guess people hate extra ports, Magsafe, actual thermal performance and big batteries?

I am very relaxed and never started attacking people's opinion like you did with me.