Apple has stopped selling the 12-inch MacBook Air, just after launching the notebook as the thinnest of its product lineup four years later. The previous generation of MacBook Air – products without Retina display – are no longer available for sale.
The 12-inch MacBook hasn’t been updated in two years, but it’s still full of highlights from other models: it’s thinner and lighter, but it’s not as powerful. It’s priced at $1,299, which is superior to the entry-level MacBook Pro, which outperforms it, with only a small increase in weight and size.
Apple seems to see the new MacBook Air (redesigned model with Retina display) as an alternative to the MacBook. Air is not so thin, but more powerful. Perhaps more importantly, Apple has been able to lower the price of Air – as of today, it is priced at $1,099, making it a clear entry-level option.
With the introduction of the 12-inch MacBook, Apple has also updated the entry-level MacBook Pro today, so that all models now include the Touch Bar. This makes the difference between the two laptop lines even more obvious – although it also means that for anyone who wants a MacBook with a physical escape key, you can’t choose a new Air right now.
For non-Retina MacBook Air, this is also a time of late arrival. The laptop helped Apple reshape the notebook market, but the company’s design leadership has diminished as Windows notebook manufacturers turn to high-resolution displays, touch screens, and convertible shapes, while Apple takes longer The resolution screen brings its consumer-level MacBook notebook. Apple has continued to sell non-Retina Air as an entry-level product for many years, priced at $999, but this is an increasingly outdated option. Now that the new Air is close to the price, Apple has finally cut it off.
Cover Photo: Laptop Mag
