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Back in 2008 on January 15 (opens in new tab), Apple unveiled the MacBook Air, with then-CEO Steve Jobs pulling a laptop out of an envelope to show how “thin” the theme of this new Mac would be. I had one between 2013 and 2021 before it finally gave up the ghost.
Around this time, netbooks were a passing fad, featuring 8-inch displays with cheap Intel processors for around $299/£349, and many wanted Apple to continue this before the iPad was even a possibility.
However, the original 2008 MacBook Air was seen as a better alternative for users who just wanted simplicity for their workflow. Wayback Machine saved a great page from Apple’s site (opens in new tab) at the time wireless and thin were the two goals of this laptop from the company.
With just one USB 2.0 port, a video-out port to support external monitors, and a MagSafe power connector, all hidden in a tiny hinge, this would become a template for how Apple would try to apply thinness to most of its products, until they function won in 2021 with the MacBook Pro 14-inch with its many ports and a focus on productivity over style.
My sky: 2013-2021
I’ve been a Mac owner since 2006 when the very first Intel Core Duo iMac arrived, marking the CPU transition from PowerPC to Intel. As the years went by I upgraded to a 2010 MacBook Pro, then it was a 2013 MacBook Air to complete my college degree after using an iPad 3 last year, and I needed something with more power.
By then, the GPU had reached a point where playing BioShock Infinite and Batman: Arkham City was no longer an issue, and storage had gone from 80GB in 2008 to 256GB.
While the MacBook Pro had received a retina display back in June 2012 (opens in new tab)the Air wasn’t supposed to get this feature until 2018, but I didn’t mind – speed and reliability were the goals for me here, and the Air delivered that in droves.
But eventually, as I graduated from college and took on some full-time IT jobs in what now feels like a past life, the Air, a machine I’d use less of, was replaced by my even thinner and lighter iPad, so it almost became a backup machine.
Eventually the battery and hard drive would fail – the Air, for example, would be 40% charged and suddenly shut down. In 2021, the hard drive finally failed, booted only in recovery mode, couldn’t find the 256 GB of storage, and now it remains in the box as a relic.
The Mac renaissance
But throughout this time, the Mac was going through some rough patches, which also stopped me from buying a new Mac. The butterfly keyboard and TouchBar weren’t worthwhile upgrades for me, and macOS didn’t meet my needs, but a 10.5-inch iPad Pro in 2017 did.
Even though my Air was a backup machine, I still loved the design and keyboard. For example, when I needed to edit a podcast or launch an app that didn’t work on iOS, the Air came through.
It wasn’t until the MacBook Pro 14-inch arrived that I decided to go back to macOS, and I’ve never been happier owning a Mac – the design, ports, and keyboard are all a home run for me, while those iPad Pro is now in the hands of a developer friend to test its apps.
But it’s the MacBook Air that has always been the machine that set the standard of what a laptop should be for me – from its portability to its long battery life and great physical design. The M2 MacBook Air is one of the best laptops you can own right now if you don’t need the extra power of the MacBook Pro, and every time I see it in an Apple Store a wave of nostalgia hits – I remember trying to get a dissertation done at 3am in 2014 in a library in Nottingham with my old MacBook Air.
Long live the Air – and I also hope Apple never changes keyboards again.