So we've
got the new 2019 MacBook Air here, in this, A really nice rose gold color. Like,
actually, wow, I
kinda forgot how much I really like this color. Anyway,
I'm reviewing it for The Verge, even though it is a
pretty minor update.
Now, the
MacBook Air and I mean the classic one that
everybody had, not last year's model. It was
the default laptop. So here's
a question. Can the new version of this new design live up
to this laptop?
It's
good. Still
good, technically, since what's different this year compared
to last year, when Apple released the first
version of this new design is
actually not that much. In fact,
I can explain it in just three bullet points.
- The keyboard has been tweaked, again, for reliability, with those new materials that Apple's been talking about.
- The True Tone display is new, so that's nice. It matches the color temperature of the room.
- It costs a hundred bucks less. That's it.
MacBook
Air still has a similar Y-series
processor that's
fast enough to do most day-to-day tasks. But it
can slow down on heavy stuff like
video and photo editing. Or even
just having too many apps and tabs open. It still
gets about seven or eight hours of active use in my
testing, it still uses USB-C to charge. And it
still has a super
convenient Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Plus, a
really nice, big Force Touch trackpad.
The
screen looks great, and I really prefer screens that have
True Tone. Plus,
thanks to a software update for the Air line that came
earlier this year, it can get just a
little bit brighter, up to 400 nits.
But
that's not as bright as what the MacBook Pros can do. Also,
just FYI, the webcam is pretty bad. But let's
admit the obvious. You're
wondering about the keyboard. Well,
what can I really tell you? My first
impression is that it's the same as last year. It's a
little bit softer and quieter than
earlier MacBook Pro models.
Now some
people don't like typing on this style of keyboard, because
it's so shallow, but the truth is, like, I
kinda like it. Cool, right, fine.
Whatever,
what about reliability? Well, I just
can't say. I don't
know. These are the style of the new materials of the Butterfly switches, so that
should help with reliability. And it's
covered under Apple's extended keyboard warranty, so that
must make you feel better too.
But at
this point, these keyboards have been so hit or miss, it's safe
to say that you're taking at least a small chance until we
know how these new materials are gonna work. Or until
Apple just switches to another design. That's
pretty much, what there's to say about
this new revision of the MacBook Air.
But the thing that you should know is, there
are plenty of Windows laptops at around
the same price point as this machine that beat
it on any number of metrics. So you
can log in with your face, you can
get an edge-to-edge screen, or you
can get a faster processor.
But none
of those Windows laptops have the
overall build quality or fit and finish of this
MacBook Air. Setting
aside the keyboard, of course. But more
importantly, for a lot of people, those
Windows laptops, they're not Macs. So the
fact that I think that, this is a pretty good laptop is a big
deal.
It really
needs to be pretty good, because
it's the main option for a lot of people, who want
to use a Mac laptop. Which
brings me all the way back around to the question, we asked at the top. Is this
the one? Is it the
default?
The
answer to that totally depends on your needs. The
advice that I always give about technology still
applies. If you
need a new computer, buy the
best one that you can afford. If you
don't, you should wait. You'll
save money, and there's always a better
computer coming around next year. But that
advice only works in technology if the
product cycles are predictable. And the
Mac has been super unpredictable.
First,
Apple took forever to update anything on any Mac. Then, it
started updating the Macs, but it
wasn't providing yearly spec-bump updates, which
makes the whole line feel more consistent. Then,
they started doing that, but they
keep changing the iteration of the keyboard with
every new release, to try and fix that
reliability problem. It's
infuriating. you know
what's going to happen with the iPhone. There
will be a new one in September. And that
means, don't buy one after, I don't
know, May or so.
But do
you know what's gonna happen next for the Mac? Probably
not. Maybe
they'll fix the keyboard. Or, maybe
Intel will get its act together and
finally deliver a much better processor. Or hell,
I don't know, maybe
Apple will finally switch to ARM processors. The point
is, you can't predict, which
makes it harder to decide what to
buy right now, if you need a computer. Plus, on
top of that, you also know in the back of your mind that you
could spend $200 more and get the new MacBook Pro that got
announced next to this thing, which has
a better screen and a better processor, and a
Touch Bar, and it's a little bit thicker.
But
whatever. Do you
see what's happening here? Instead
of me, just saying, yep, this is the default. There are
a bunch of ifs, and maybes, and
caveats to worry about. Now, I
know that, that is always the way with tech. But it
was never the way with the classic MacBook Air. This
wasn't just the default for Mac users. It was
pretty much the default laptop for almost everybody. And I
don't think that this MacBook Air has
earned that title yet. It's very
good, but it's not the default.