Hands On: Apple's M2 MacBook Air Ditches the Wedge
The biggest product news out of Apple’s WWDC keynote wasn’t related to iPhones or the Apple Watch. Instead, it was the debut of the M2 processor and the all-new, all-different MacBook Air. In addition to the latest processor, the Air is getting its biggest redesign in years, bringing it alongside the latest entries in the Mac family, like the MacBook Pro and the Mac Studio.
Apple invited us to head out to California for the event, giving us our first opportunity to test out the slimmer-than-ever laptop. Here’s what we saw and what we think about it.
It’s hard to pin down any one change as the most important in a redesign that’s so comprehensive, but there’s one change that’s certainly the most obvious: The tapered wedge profile that the Air made iconic is gone. Shrunk from an already-slim 16mm down to a svelte 11.6mm thick, the new Air drops the taper for a rectangular profile that has a consistent thickness from front to back.
But it still manages to be one of the slimmest laptops around, shaving 20% of the volume of the previous model, and cramming more power than ever into the 13-inch design. Which raises the obvious question: How does it feel?
Lifting, opening, and typing on the MacBook Air felt surprisingly solid. The aluminum chassis is just as rigid as on past models, and the smooth action of the hinge made one-handed opening a breeze. The 2.7-pound weight is also crazy lightweight—this is one laptop you’ll hardly know you’re carrying when it’s in a bag.
The new Air is also available in different colors. But, if you were expecting the candy-colored rainbow of hues seen on the iPhone or the iMac, think again. The new MacBook Air starts with bare aluminum and offers four successively darker shades: silver,
Read more on pcmag.com
