MacBook is a cleaner name. And without the wedge shape now, the new MacBook Air doesn't really look or feel like an 'Air'. One of the big selling points was how it tapered down to nothing...
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Why retain the MacBook Air name?
- Thread starter mectojic
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I'd also been assuming this would be a MacBook, and that it'd take the place of the 13" Pro in the lineup. I guess it comes down to brand recognition/ loyalty. 'MacBook Air' still has a lot of residual goodwill that's very valuable to Apple.
Agree. The 'Air' name is dated now and only the MacBook and iPad retain it.
I guess to Apple, the "Air" means lightweight. You can see it in the way they revealed the M2 Air with the feather floating next to it, even though its as not much lighter than the M1 Air (2.7 lb vs 2.8 lb).
What? It's strong inside the Apple brand.
MacBook Air.
iPad Air.
AirPods.
AirTags.
I believe the name isn't going anywhere.
As long as the Mac performs as stated, I really don't care what Apple called it.
They could’ve forgotten to change it, just slipped through marketing.
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Air is in reference to its weight, not the shape of it.
It’s still the lightest MacBook you can buy, and it’s a name people are familiar with.
It’s still the lightest MacBook you can buy, and it’s a name people are familiar with.
At some point when do they stop selling the $999 M1 Air??? Do they actually come out with a Macbook 12.something” white bezel $999 version???….
The value proposition of the MacBook Air has always been that it's Apple's lightweight budget laptop that offers a strong utility/dollar ratio. The wedge shape was incidental to that. I prefer the taper too, because I find it more comfortable on the wrists to type on, but I don't think it's a dealbreaker to have a MBA that's square.
If they eventually decide to make a 15" version, they can call it whatever they want as long as there's enough inventory for me to buy one 
Because it is one of the most memorable brands in Apple's portfolio. Macbook was the updated iBook. We hardly remember its introduction. But MacBook Air was that thing Jobs pulled out of an envelope. One of the best keynote moments ever. And it paved the way for the entire laptop industry. What a laptop was going to be going forward.
I never thought about the taper, always considered it Apple's lighter & more budget laptop. Pretty sure that's most people's perception of it and there's just no way they "forgot" to change it, obviously a conscious decision on their part. No reason to get rid of a descriptor just because some people think it's somehow outdated even though both the Macbook & iPad are still lighter versions. Maybe they should stop using pro since most of us using those probably aren't pros Personally, I don't care what they call my computer as long as it works for me 🤷♀
Personally, I don't care what they call my computer as long as it works for me 🤷♀
Hardly. The name change of the original MacBook happened in 2009 due to the fact that the entry level MBP has too much in common with the 13" MBP (the 9400M, memory and CPUs).
Hence, Apple even stated that was the reason behind the name change. But back then the unibody MacBook was flying of the shelves.
Apple’s names are crazy. None of the modifiers mean anything. They have a small vocabulary of words and they just mix and match them however they feel like it when they have a new product to name.
I suppose the marketing people used survey polling data to see if people still responded to the word Air as in lighter and Pro as bulkier.
Did it actually retain the Air name? 🤔 If you look closely on the presentation photos, there is no more MacBook Air branding on the display, it is just a black strip. It looks similar to the MacBook Pro, only smaller and thinner. Call it a MacBook, call it a Baby MacBook if you want....
I miss the times when Jobs wanted to simplify the product line.
They killed the MacBook Air, by removing the wedge shape, they could have named it just MacBook as you said...
Because the simple MacBook is a cursed name. Every generation of MacBook was disaster.
It's first and foremost about consumer brand naming recognition and about doing a follow up to your super popular "smash hit song" while it's still fresh in our collective memory.
Asking Apple to ditch the "Air" naming for a new product that follows largely the same formula as a previous one and sits in the same price bracket is as foolish as asking Adele to name her next album something other than a number related to her age.
-The average consumer that the Air is targeted at either bought an M1 Air, or has seen one irl, or knows someone who bought one.
Apple wouldn't win anything by coming up with a new name or by referencing a line of laptops that was never as popular as MacBooks Air, and definitely hasn't been a hit in the last ten years or so.
Our collectively memory related to Apple laptops and tech products in general has largely forgotten MacBooks(full stop), iBooks and Powerbooks. MacBooks Air and Pro are fresh in memory which is why Apple will only be referencing those right now, naturally.
Furthermore, the pricebracekts and features that you get from iPads Air and Pro are roughly speaking quite similar to what you get in MacBooks Air and Pro. So another reason to keep these names for many products across product categories only serves to strengthen Apple's aggressive product segmentation strategy of making everyone understand which products are the small, medium, and big-gulp-super-deluxe "soda".
"Air" signifies the mid-tier for iPads and MacBooks -More powerful and expensive than entry-level, but lighter and more stylish than Pro.
Asking Apple to ditch the "Air" naming for a new product that follows largely the same formula as a previous one and sits in the same price bracket is as foolish as asking Adele to name her next album something other than a number related to her age.
-The average consumer that the Air is targeted at either bought an M1 Air, or has seen one irl, or knows someone who bought one.
Apple wouldn't win anything by coming up with a new name or by referencing a line of laptops that was never as popular as MacBooks Air, and definitely hasn't been a hit in the last ten years or so.
Our collectively memory related to Apple laptops and tech products in general has largely forgotten MacBooks(full stop), iBooks and Powerbooks. MacBooks Air and Pro are fresh in memory which is why Apple will only be referencing those right now, naturally.
Furthermore, the pricebracekts and features that you get from iPads Air and Pro are roughly speaking quite similar to what you get in MacBooks Air and Pro. So another reason to keep these names for many products across product categories only serves to strengthen Apple's aggressive product segmentation strategy of making everyone understand which products are the small, medium, and big-gulp-super-deluxe "soda".
"Air" signifies the mid-tier for iPads and MacBooks -More powerful and expensive than entry-level, but lighter and more stylish than Pro.
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