Apple
- The biggest improvement to Apple's new MacBook Air is its Magic Keyboard, which represents a much-needed upgrade over the butterfly mechanism keyboard found on older Apple laptops.
- The MacBook Air has gotten some performance improvements, additional storage, and a slightly lower price - all qualities that make it a more formidable competitor to Windows rivals.
- It's probably the right choice for most Mac users looking for a new general purpose laptop that doesn't need the extra power provided by the pricier MacBook Pro.
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Apple gave a much-needed update to its MacBook Air lineup this week with the launch of its 2020 model, which brings fresh Intel 10th-generation processors, a slightly lower starting price, and most importantly - a brand-new Magic keyboard just like the one on the 16-inch MacBook Pro it launched last year.
That last point is especially important, because it's the one factor that prevented me from upgrading my aging 2015-era MacBook Air until this point, and I'm sure many other Mac users have felt the same way. If you haven't been following the multi-year saga surrounding Apple's butterfly keyboard, allow me to summarize:
Starting in 2015 with the launch of its now-discontinued 12-inch MacBook, Apple launched a keyboard with an entirely new design that it called the butterfly mechanism. These thinner keyboards helped Apple keep the design profile of its laptops super slim, but over the years customers complained about keys getting stuck and simply not registering when tapped. Apple tried to remedy the situation by launching free keyboard repair programs for affected users, but finally decided to move forward with a new keyboard design in 2019 based on its Magic Keyboard for Mac desktops.
I haven't been able to spend much time using the new MacBook Air just yet. But after using it as my main work computer for nearly a full day, I can say that this feels like the upgrade a lot of Mac fans have probably been waiting for, mostly thanks to its significantly improved keyboard and lower price.
The new MacBook Air runs on a dual-core 10th generation Intel processor with the option to upgrade to a quad-core, is available with 8GB or 16GB of memory, and has storage options ranging from 256GB to 2TB. There's also a TouchID sensor for logging into your laptop with your fingerprint, two USB-C ports, and Apple claims its battery should last for 11 hours on a single charge. The MacBook Air starts at $1,000 for the base model, which includes a dual-core Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. That's a minor price cut compared to last year's model, which began at $1,100.
Here's a brief look at what it's been like to use it for the past day.
