Apple This

When it was first released, the MacBook Air was an innovative device. But now everyone and their mothers are making ultra-slim laptops. The MacBook Air still has a lot going for it, but unless Apple unveils a brand new and revamped design of the MacBook Air this year, you may just want to pick up a standard MacBook instead. Consider these three things when deciding whether you want a MacBook Air rental or a MacBook rental.

The Death of the 11 Inch Air

Apple stopped producing 11 inch MacBook Airs last year. To understand why this fact is so terrible you first have to ask yourself, “Why do people buy the MacBook Air?”. To answer your question, people bought the MacBook Air because it was compact, lightweight, and still managed to be powerful.

But Apple discontinued the 11 Inch MacBook Air, effectively eliminating one of the three main reasons anyone would want to specifically rent or buy a MacBook Air in the first place. But only the 11 Inch MacBook Air was discontinued, meaning that Apple is still actively selling their 13 Inch MacBook Airs.

Weight of the Devices

Contrary to the device’s name, the MacBook Air is no longer the lightweight champion of MacBook devices. Maybe if Apple continued making new models of the 11-inch MacBook Air, the Air would still be the lightest MacBook but, as listed above, Apple sunk that model. However, Apple has not stopped pursuing slim and lightweight designs. The 12-inch MacBook released back in 2015 manages to be lighter than both the 11-inch MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Air.

Device Capabilities

The MacBook Air and the MacBook have pretty similar hardware capabilities. The main differences between the two devices are that the MacBook Air comes equipped with better a processor, graphics card, and battery life (battery life only applies to the 13 inch model), while the MacBook is lighter weight, has better screen display (retina display) and resolution, and more flash drive storage space and RAM by default.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a device strictly on the grounds of what is currently the most lightweight and compact MacBook, get the 12-inch MacBook. If you need a better graphics card or longer battery life, get the 13-inch MacBook Air. At the moment I cannot tell if there is an objectively better device between the MacBook and the MacBook Air, but the fact that the MacBook is lighter, more compact, and almost as powerful processor and graphics card wise is somewhat concerning when thinking about the future of the MacBook Air family.

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