It's been 15 years since the first MacBook Air was announced (January 15, 2008). It's a light, thin notebook that revolutionized the market, and its unveiling was one of the most memorable and iconic in Apple's history.
Steve Jobs Introducing MacBook Air
To show just how thin the MacBook Air is, Steve Jobs took the laptop out of its thick envelope during the presentation. The original MacBook Air was 0.16 inches (4 mm) thin at its thinnest and 0.76 inches (19.3 mm) thick at its thickest point. By comparison, the new model has a flatter design with the same thickness of 0.44 inches (11.2 mm).
MacBook Air 2008.
In addition to being the thinnest notebook in the world, the 2008 MacBook Air boasted a long list of specifications. The laptop had a 13.3-inch screen with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels, a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of SDRAM, an 80GB hard drive, an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 GPU, a USB 2.0 port, and a trackpad with Multi-Touch technology.
In addition, the laptop gets a MagSafe 45W power adapter. Yes, the term MagSafe was around long before Apple introduced MagSafe wireless charging technology with a magnetic docking station. But the most important factor that ultimately made consumers buy the 2008 MacBook Air was its design. It was the thinnest laptop in the world. The cost of the device was $1799.
According to rumors, Apple intends to release a MacBook Air with a 15-inch screen this year. And next year a notebook with OLED-display is expected to appear.
Steve Jobs introduced the first MacBook Air at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. The laptop was originally positioned as the world's thinnest (1.94 cm vs. 1.98 cm for the previous record holder, the 2005 Toshiba Portege R200[1]). The first generation MacBook Air had only a 13.3-inch screen, the first version had an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an Intel GMA X3100 graphics card and a removable 1.8" 80GB PATA hard drive; From the first generation, all possible components except the audio card and wi-fi module were soldered into the motherboard. In late 2008, a second version of the laptop was introduced: the processor was upgraded to a faster (Penryn generation) and used Nvidia GeForce graphics, the hard drive capacity was increased, and the micro-DVI video port was replaced with a Mini DisplayPort. In mid-2009 updates along with the MacBook Pro lineup showed a significant increase in battery capacity.
On October 20, 2010, Apple released a redesigned 13.3" model, with an improved chassis, increased screen resolution, a reinforced battery, and proprietary flash memory in place of a 1.8" hard drive. There was also a new model with an 11.6" screen that had less cost, weight, battery life and performance than the 13.3" model, but still more than most machines on the then current cheaper 11" Intel Atom. The next models from 2011 featured the new 1.6- or 1.7-GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 1.8-GHz or dual-core Intel Core i7 processors (in the 13.3" model), an integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphics card and 4GB of soldered-in RAM (in the 13.3" model).
On June 11, 2012, Apple released an updated model in the same form factor as the previous model. The new model runs on the new (Ivy Bridge) dual-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and has two third-generation USB connectors, a new 720p FaceTime camera, and a new MagSafe 2 port. On June 10, 2013, the new MacBook Air models were unveiled at WWDC. The 11" and 13" models feature the new Haswell ULT 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, with Turbo Boost to 2.6GHz (optional 1.7GHz Dual-Core i7, with Turbo Boost to 3.3GHz). The minimum SSD capacity was 128GB. Due to the fact that the new laptop runs on Haswell processor with reduced frequencies and voltages, battery life has been significantly improved compared to the previous generation: The 11" model is capable of up to 9 hours of battery life, while the 13" model is capable of up to 12 hours of battery life. The 2014 version again increased the Core i5 processor frequency in the base configuration from 1.3 GHz (Turbo Boost to 2.6 GHz) to 1.4 GHz (Turbo Boost to 2.7 GHz), the top configuration also received a more efficient Core i7 processor at 1.8 GHz instead of 1.7 GHz.
In March 2015, the new models were equipped with Broadwell processors, Intel HD Graphics 6000 graphics, Thunderbolt 2, and faster storage and memory.[2] In 2017, the 13-inch model received an increase in CPU speed from 1.6GHz to 1.8GHz, while the 11-inch model was discontinued. The model remained on sale after Apple released the next generation in 2018. It was discontinued in July 2019. Before it was discontinued, it was the last Apple laptop with USB Type-A ports, a non-Retina display, and a backlit Apple
On October 30, 2018, Apple released the third-generation MacBook Air with Amber Lake processors, a 13.3-inch 2560×1600-pixel Retina display, Touch ID, two combined USB-C 3.1 Gen 2/Thunderbolt 3 ports plus one audio jack. The screen shows 48 percent more colors, the bezels are 50 percent narrower than the previous generation and take up 17 percent less space. Thickness was reduced to 15.6 mm and weight was reduced to 1.25 kg (2.75 pounds). It was available in three finishes - silver, space gray and gold. Unlike the previous generation, this model could not come with an Intel Core i7 processor.
The base 2018 model came with 8GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 RAM, a 128GB SSD, an Intel Core i5 processor (base speed 1.6GHz, with Turbo up to 3.6GHz) with Intel UHD Graphics 617.
Apple released updated models in July 2019 with True Tone display technology and an updated butterfly keyboard using the same components as the mid-2019 MacBook Pro[4][5]. A test showed that the 256GB SSD read speed in the 2019 model is 35% slower than the 256GB SSD in the 2018 model, although the write speed is slightly faster[6].
Updated models were released in March 2020 with Ice Lake processors, updated graphics, support for 6K output to work with Pro Display XDR and other 6k monitors, and the replacement of the butterfly keyboard with a Magic Keyboard similar to the one found in the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro[7].
On November 10, 2020, Apple announced an updated MacBook Air with an M1 processor designed
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