Updated June 18: The article was originally published on June 17.
Loyal fans have been waiting for Apple to release the 15-inch MacBook Air. Now here, and reviews make it clear; This laptop barely meets expectations. It’s not Apple pushing the boat out with a great new experience. It’s the same tired laptop that Apple has been producing since 2020.
Update: Sunday, June 18: The trusted iFixit team has it They got their hands on the 15-inch MacBook Air and, as always, the new hardware has been stripped down to look likeThe new components but also the ease of repair. Both answers are disappointing.
On the new hardware – apart from the screen – Apple has increased the battery capacity to deliver life similar to that of a 13-inch laptop. It is a multi-cell unit that facilitates fast charging. As shown, the unused space is filled with two additional speakers. Aside from these features, the internal construction of the MacBook Air 15 is eerily identical to that of the MacBook Air 13. It’s really “the same thing but bigger”.
A decision is a bad choice, however; The MacBook Air is riddled with tape and tightly packed components, making repairs very difficult. Malcolm Owen takes over the story:
Disassembly is a “miserable” experience, as the components are assembled and interlocked in a “maze” that makes removing the battery and removing the motherboard a daunting challenge. Additionally, this motherboard is “pretty much the same” as the 13-inch version.
“As part of the disassembly process, Apple’s continued reliance on adhesive tape to hold the battery in place is considered unnecessary, given the large number of components that must be removed first and also hold the cells in place. . »
One criticism of the 15-inch MacBook Air is that it’s late and should have been released last year. The laptop’s specs (apart from the 15-inch screen) match those of the 13-inch MacBook Air launched at WWDC 2022 with the M2 chipset. If Apple released the 13-inch and 15-inch Airs simultaneously, there would be great synergy.
Instead, the industry had to wait a year for a bigger laptop. The increased internal volume allows for two additional speakers, but everything else feels like a 2022 laptop. Even with Apple’s aggressive pricing, buying into the macOS laptop ecosystem is a big investment. Is this where you want to buy vintage products?
Matching the specs of the 13-inch MacBook Air means the issues with the smaller laptop carry over. This means that the memory read/write speed is reduced by half compared to M1 laptops released in 2020.
Revolutionary aside, where’s the huge upgradable MacBook Air? That won’t happen until next year. Apple’s upcoming M3 family of chipsets will deliver better performance with better battery life and will be at the heart of all consumer-facing MacBook Air laptops.
The current 15-inch MacBook Air M2, meanwhile, looks like a placeholder, a laptop released “fresh” to maintain interest and momentum. Last year’s laptop would wear that disguise until the next generation of real MacBooks arrived.
Read the latest Mac, MacBook and iPhone headlines now in Forbes’ weekly Apple Loop news roundup.
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