ZDNet reviews Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Air: ‘A good balancing act’

Apple’s “slimline MacBook Air has continued to sell well in recent years despite the fact that — aside from the occasional modest speed-bump — its basic design has remained unchanged since its debut in 2008,” Cliff Joseph writes for ZDNet. “But a decade of neglect has seen this former flagship laptop relegated to Apple’s ‘entry-level’ offering for students and home users.”
“The design of the original MacBook Air was both innovative and highly influential, prompting gasps from the audience when the late Steve Jobs slipped the 17mm thick laptop out of a manila envelope for the very first time… So Apple has made a conscious decision with this 2018 update to retain key elements of that design, including the distinctive — and often copied — ‘teardrop’ profile that gently tapers from back to front.,” Joseph writes. “And, like all modern Apple products, the MacBook Air now boasts a Retina Display. The size of the display remains the same, at 13.3 inches diagonally, but the modest 1,440 by 900 resolution (127.7dpi) of its predecessor has been increased to 2,560 by 1,600 (227dpi).”
With faster memory and the latest processors and graphics, MacBook Air delivers the performance you need for organizing your photos, browsing the web and creating presentations.
 
“It may be long overdue, but the 2018 edition of the MacBook Air pulls off a good balancing act. Rather than a ground-up revamp, this new model concentrates on refining the elegant, lightweight design that made the MacBook Air so popular in the first place, while also bringing it up to date with features such as the Retina Display and T2 security chip,” Joseph writes. “And while the MacBook Air certainly isn’t cheap it’s not far out of step with the pricing of rival Windows ultraportables.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Of course, only Apple Mac can run all of the world’s software, not a mere subset of which all Windows PC dreck is limited.
SEE ALSO:
John Gruber reviews Apple’s new MacBook Air: ‘It’s pretty damn sweet’ – November 6, 2018
TechCrunch reviews Apple’s new MacBook Air: The clear pick over the 12-inch MacBook – November 6, 2018
Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Air has a processor like no other laptop – October 31, 2018
Apple reveals all-new MacBook Air with a gorgeous 13-inch Retina display – October 30, 2018