The Intel-based MacBook Air is a discontinued line of notebook computers developed and manufactured by Apple from 2008 to 2020. The Air was originally positioned above the previous MacBook line as a premium ultraportable. Since then, the original MacBook's discontinuation in 2012 and lowered prices on subsequent iterations made the Air Apple's entry-level notebook.
The MacBook Air was introduced in January 2008 with a 13.3-inch screen, and was promoted as the world's thinnest notebook, opening a laptop category known as the ultrabook family. Apple released a redesigned MacBook Air in October 2010, with a redesigned tapered chassis, standard solid-state storage, and added a smaller 11.6-inch version. Later revisions added Intel Core i5 or i7 processors and Thunderbolt. The Retina MacBook Air was released in October 2018, with reduced dimensions, a Retina display, and combination USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports for data and power.
The Intel-based MacBook Air was discontinued on November 10, 2020 following the release of the first MacBook Air with Apple silicon based on the Apple M1 processor.
Original (2008–2009)
Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Air during Apple's keynote address at the 2008 Macworld conference on January 15, 2008. The original MacBook Air was a 13.3-inch model, initially promoted as the world's thinnest notebook at 1.9 cm (a previous record holder, 2005's Toshiba Portege R200, was 1.98 cm high). It featured a custom Intel Merom CPU and Intel GMA GPU which were 40% as big as the standard chip package. It also featured an anti-glare LED backlit display, a full-size keyboard, and a large trackpad that responded to multi-touch gestures such as pinching, swiping, and rotating. Since the release of Snow Leopard, the trackpad has also supported handwriting recognition of Chinese characters.
The MacBook Air was the first subcompact notebook offered by Apple after the 12-inch PowerBook G4 discontinued in 2006. It was also Apple's first computer with an optional solid-state drive. It was Apple's first notebook since the PowerBook 2400c without a built-in removable media drive. To read optical disks, users could either purchase an external USB drive such as Apple's SuperDrive or use the bundled Remote Disc software to access the drive of another computer wirelessly that has the program installed. Either option can also be used to reinstall the system software from the included installation DVD. Remote Disc supports booting over a network, so the Air can boot from its installation DVD in another computer's drive if Remote Install Mac OS X is running on that computer. The software does not allow playing video DVDs or audio CDs, or installing Windows; for these capabilities, an external USB drive is required. More recent versions of OS X replaced the installation DVD with a USB flash drive containing the software, eliminating the need for remote installation. The MacBook Air also does without a FireWire port, Ethernet port, line-in, and a Kensington Security Slot.
On October 14, 2008, a new model was announced with a low-voltage Penryn processor and Nvidia GeForce graphics. Storage capacity was increased to a 128 GB SSD or a 120 GB HDD,1 GB = one billion bytes and the micro-DVI video port was replaced by the Mini DisplayPort. A mid-2009 version featured slightly higher battery capacity and a faster Penryn CPU.
Design
Apple incorporated several features in the design of the MacBook Air, such as the reduction of lead to make it more environmentally friendly. The MacBook Air contains no BFRs and PVC wiring, meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements, has a recyclable enclosure, and is rated EPEAT Gold. Its display is made with arsenic-free glass and contains no mercury.
Reception On its introduction, the MacBook Air received mixed reviews which praised its portability, but criticized the compromises it made in terms of features. The full-sized keyboard, lightness, thinness, and Multi-Touch trackpad were appreciated in reviews, while the limited configuration options and ports, slow speed, non-user-replaceable battery, small hard drive, and price were criticized. The flip-down hatch on the side of the original MacBook Air was a tight fit for some headphone plugs and USB devices, requiring users to purchase an extension cable. Apple removed the flip-down hatch on the late 2010 model in favor of open ports like those on the MacBook Pro.
Some users have complained of CPU lockup caused by overheating. Apple released a software update in early March 2008 to fix the problem with mixed results: the deactivation of one CPU core was corrected; however, some users reported that the runaway kernel problem continued. The problem is aggravated by system-intensive tasks such as video playback or video chatting.
ArsTechnica found "moderate" performance improvements of the 64 GB solid-state drive of the original Air over the standard 80 GB hard drive in tests.
"World's thinnest notebook" At the launch of the MacBook Air in January 2008, Steve Jobs said it was the "world's thinnest notebook". This was true, but more important was the fact that the MacBook Air was much thinner than mainstream laptops at the time. Its total component integration and use of an entirely new class of Intel processors with a lower TDP and higher integration than previously available made it the first of a new wave of thin performance laptops. Over the years, Apple has removed the claim of being "the world's thinnest notebook" from their marketing materials as other, similarly thin laptops have come to market.
Technical specifications
Original (early 2008) Late 2008 Mid 2009 Component / processor Merom Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn Intel Core 2 Duo Timeline Announced January 15, 2008 October 14, 2008 June 8, 2009 Released January 30, 2008 Discontinued October 14, 2008 June 8, 2009 October 20, 2010 Unsupported October 2014 October 2018 Model Model identifier MacBookAir1,1 MacBookAir2,1 Model number (on underside) A1237 A1304 Part number (order number) MB003 MB543 MB940 MC233 MC234 MSRP (US$) $1799 $1799 $2499 $1499 $1799 Display (glossy) 13.3-inch, native 1280 × 800 pixels (16:10, 113 ppi) . 6-bit color panel, lower resolutions supported Performance Processor 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Merom (P7500) with 4 MB on-chip L2 cache 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn (SL9300) with 6 MB on-chip L2 cache 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn (SL9400) with 6 MB on-chip L2 cache 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn (SL9600) with 6 MB on-chip L2 cache Front-side bus / DMI 800 MHz 1066 MHz Memory 2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM 2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM Graphics Intel GMA X3100 using 144 MB of DDR2 SDRAM (shared with system memory) with Micro-DVI output Nvidia GeForce 9400M using 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM (shared with system memory) with Mini DisplayPort output Storage 80 GB 4200-rpm 1.8-inch PATA HDD or 64 GB SSD 120 GB 4200-rpm 1.8-inch SATA HDD 128 GB SSD 120 GB 4200-rpm 1.8-inch SATA HDD 128 GB SSD Connectivity Video camera iSight (640 × 480) Wireless connectivity Internal Wi-Fi 4 (802.11a/b/g and draft-n)Bluetooth 2.1 + EDRBuilt-in infrared (IR) receiver for Apple Remote Peripheral connections 1× USB 2.0MagSafeMicro-DVI video port 1× USB 2.0MagSafe1× Mini DisplayPort video port Audio 3.5 mm headphone jackMono speaker Operating system Minimum Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Latest released OS X 10.7 Lion OS X 10.11 El Capitan Power Battery (non-removable lithium-ion polymer)37-watt-hour 40-watt-hour Battery cycle count 300 500 Appearance Unit weight Dimensions wide × deep × to high (13")
Redesign (2010–2017)
On October 20, 2010, Apple released a redesigned 13.3-inch model with a tapered enclosure, higher screen resolution, improved battery, a second USB port, stereo speakers, and standard solid state storage. An 11.6-inch model was introduced, offering reduced cost, weight, battery life, and performance relative to the 13.3-inch model, but better performance than typical netbooks of the time. Both 11-inch and 13-inch models had an analog audio output/headphone minijack supporting Apple earbuds with a microphone. The 13-inch model received a SDXC-capable SD Card slot.
On July 20, 2011, Apple released updated models, which also became Apple's entry-level notebooks due to lowered prices and the discontinuation of the white MacBook around the same time. The mid-2011 models were upgraded with Sandy Bridge dual-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, Intel HD Graphics 3000, backlit keyboards, Thunderbolt, and Bluetooth was upgraded to v4.0. Maximum storage options were increased up to 256 GB. These models use a less expensive "Eagle Ridge" Thunderbolt controller that provides two Thunderbolt channels (2 × 10 Gbit/s bidirectional), compared to the MacBook Pro which uses a "Light Ridge" controller that provides four Thunderbolt channels (4 × 10 Gbit/s bidirectional). This revision also replaced the Exposé (F3) key with a Mission Control key, and the Dashboard (F4) key with a Launchpad key.
On June 11, 2012, Apple updated the line with Intel Ivy Bridge dual-core Core i5 and i7 processors, HD Graphics 4000, faster memory and flash storage speeds, USB 3.0, an upgraded 720p FaceTime camera, and a thinner MagSafe 2 charging port.
On June 10, 2013, Apple updated the line with Haswell processors, Intel HD Graphics 5000, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The standard memory was upgraded to 4 GB, with a maximum configuration of 8 GB. Storage started at 128 GB SSD, with options for 256 GB and 512 GB. The Haswell considerably improved battery life from the previous models, and the models are capable of nine hours on the 11-inch model and 12 hours on the 13-inch model; a team of reviewers exceeded expected battery life ratings during their test. The mid-2013 model is second MacBook Air that supported nine macOS versions: OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 through macOS Big Sur 11.
In March 2015, the models were refreshed with Broadwell processors, Intel HD Graphics 6000, Thunderbolt 2, and faster storage and memory. In 2017, the 13-inch model received a processor speed increase from 1.6 GHz to 1.8 GHz and the 11-inch model was discontinued. The 2017 model remained available for sale after Apple launched the Retina MacBook Air in 2018. It was discontinued on July 9, 2019 following the announcement of the updated Retina MacBook Air models. Before its discontinuation it was Apple's last notebook with USB Type-A ports, MagSafe (until it was reintroduced in 2021), a non-Retina display, a backlit rear Apple logo, and the startup chime (until the introduction of macOS Big Sur in 2020).
Design and upgradability Although MacBook Air components are officially non-user-replaceable, third parties do sell replacement batteries and SSD upgrade kits. Both battery and SSD can be replaced opening the back of the case, but the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard and can not be upgraded. The flash memory has a 128 MB cache and a mSATA connection (updated to a proprietary PCIe interface) to the motherboard. Adaptors are available to fit standard M.2 2280 form factor SSDs. Firmware upgrades installed in macOS High Sierra are needed to support large SSDs.
Issues Due to a more mature manufacturing process, the CPUs in the 2010–2017 MacBook Air performs better under load, while the original models ran hotter—the processor needed to be throttled to avoid overheating and this further degraded performance.
On October 17, 2013, Apple announced a replacement program for the 64 GB and 128 GB MacBook Air flash storage drives installed in Air systems purchased between June 2012 and June 2013.
Reception
Comparison with iPad and netbooks Although the 11-inch Air is only 0.6 pounds lighter than the 13-inch Air, the biggest difference is the footprint which gives each model a distinct category; the 13-inch Air is much closer in size to most other conventional laptops, while the 11-inch Air is almost small enough to fit in a space that can hold an iPad.