Apple's 13" MacBook Air gets 8GB RAM as standard

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited April 2016
Apple's original thin-and-light laptop wasn't left out of Tuesday's update fray, as all configurations of Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air now ship with 8 gigabytes of RAM.




The road warrior favorite remains available in two standard models: one with 128 gigabytes of built-in storage and the other with 256 gigabytes. As before, storage can be configured upward to 512 gigabytes.

Unlike its smaller sibling, the MacBook Air did not receive a Skylake update. It continues to ship with a previous-gen Core i5, which buyers can swap out for a 2.2-gigahertz Core i7 if required.

All other specifications remain the same.




Without a processor bump, the end of the road may be near for the MacBook Air. What was once Apple's best-selling laptop has been usurped in portability by the MacBook and still has no Retina display, putting it in a somewhat awkward position in Apple's Mac lineup.

The MacBook Air's saving grace -- at least for a while -- may be its price. A base 13" model can be had for just $999, compared to a $1299 entry point for the 12" MacBook.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 36
    macapfelmacapfel Posts: 575member
    Definitely awkward at the moment. And confusing for the average customer (i.e. not AI reader). I just hope they come up with a more considerate line up. MacBook is fantastic, and so is the MacBook Pro. But the MBA? I would like to have a new Mac, but am currently unsure which one to buy. The MBA seems not to be a sensible option any more. And I bought two of them since it came out, incl. gen 1.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 2 of 36
    I remember standing in front of the stage at Macworld when Steve pulled the 1st MacBook Air from the envelope.
    We were stunned.
    I love my MBA for when I travel, as it much better than trying to just use my iPad.
    The single USB-C port MacBook is just not what I need.
    It appears Apple has decided to kill off my beloved MBA, so "Just Do It" and stop the slow death.
    RIP MacBook Air. 
     :( 

    irelandanantksundarambaconstang
  • Reply 3 of 36
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,324member
    A disgraceful set of updates.  Rose Gold and the same 480p camera for the MacBook, and only 8GB of RAM standard for the AIR.  Let's say Apple is saving the best for last, reserving a new set of all-new MacBook Pro designs for June.  In that case, anyone foolish enough to buy the MacBook or AIR right now would be reliving the Mac IIvx fiasco of days gone by, regretting their purchase BIG TIME when the new MBP's debut only months later.  But if there is no big update in June, then such further drives home the point that Apple is waning when it comes to innovation.  In either case, it does not look pretty at all.  I just sent my feedback to Apple.  Perhaps you should too:

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbook.html

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookair.html
    anantksundaramcnocbui
  • Reply 4 of 36
    bit awkward,
    like the party is over and the MBA doesn't know when to leave...

    The iPad Air (moniker) is then probably also staying for awhile.


  • Reply 5 of 36
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    With base prices of $899 and $999, the MacBook Air is still the most attractive Apple notebook to the majority of potential customers.

    I don't understand why Apple is still price gouging on Macs. They have the entire lineup of iOS devices to subsidize their Macs. They should be trying to bring more people into the fold instead of driving people away.
    schlackirelandsingularityai46cnocbuijony0lorin schultz
  • Reply 6 of 36
    kpluckkpluck Posts: 500member
    jdw said:
    ...and only 8GB of RAM standard for the AIR. 
    Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that the chipset used in the Air doesn't support more than 8GB of RAM...but, point taken. Hopefully this means the MacBook Pro line revisions are going to be more interesting but I doubt it.

    It seems every time I reverse myself and decide I need to get a new Mac, Apple revises its hardware in new ways I don't like. So the Air line is on its way out which likely means the Pros will be getting thinner. Which usually also means a tightly buttoned up piece of hardware with no chance of upgrading or repair by the end user. I guess that isn't too far off from what they have now but I was hoping, naively, that maybe the next round of changes would go the other way.

    -kp

  • Reply 7 of 36
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    Possibly Apple can now combine Macbook and Macbook Air as one offer to keep lighter,thinner,ultra-portable laptop in sizes 11".12",13.3". and than for heavy duty work Macbook pro faster,powerful in 13.3" and 15". .
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 8 of 36
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    jdw said:
    A disgraceful set of updates.  Rose Gold and the same 480p camera for the MacBook, and only 8GB of RAM standard for the AIR.  Let's say Apple is saving the best for last, reserving a new set of all-new MacBook Pro designs for June.  In that case, anyone foolish enough to buy the MacBook or AIR right now would be reliving the Mac IIvx fiasco of days gone by, regretting their purchase BIG TIME when the new MBP's debut only months later.  But if there is no big update in June, then such further drives home the point that Apple is waning when it comes to innovation.  In either case, it does not look pretty at all.  I just sent my feedback to Apple.  Perhaps you should too:

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbook.html

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookair.html
    Only 8GB?! That's pretty good for entry level RAM.
    schlackAirunJaebaconstangai46jony0
  • Reply 9 of 36
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    jdw said:
    A disgraceful set of updates.  Rose Gold and the same 480p camera for the MacBook, and only 8GB of RAM standard for the AIR.  Let's say Apple is saving the best for last, reserving a new set of all-new MacBook Pro designs for June.  In that case, anyone foolish enough to buy the MacBook or AIR right now would be reliving the Mac IIvx fiasco of days gone by, regretting their purchase BIG TIME when the new MBP's debut only months later.  But if there is no big update in June, then such further drives home the point that Apple is waning when it comes to innovation.  In either case, it does not look pretty at all.  I just sent my feedback to Apple.  Perhaps you should too:

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbook.html

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookair.html
    Today's updates are indeed disgraceful, but you shouldn't act like every customer is a potential customer of either the Air or Pro line. They are for different classes of users. So to say that people shouldn't buy a MacBook or and Air today because NEW PROS are on the way soon is ridiculous. 

    The only people who think that way are Pro customers who need a Pro, but always try to see if they can get away with using an Air.
    AirunJaebaconstangradarthekatjony0
  • Reply 10 of 36
    appexappex Posts: 687member
    Apple, please, all Macs with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 (Type C) Generation 2.
    schlackkermit4krazyAirunJaeirelandanantksundaram
  • Reply 11 of 36
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    jdw said:
    A disgraceful set of updates.  Rose Gold and the same 480p camera for the MacBook, and only 8GB of RAM standard for the AIR.  Let's say Apple is saving the best for last, reserving a new set of all-new MacBook Pro designs for June.  In that case, anyone foolish enough to buy the MacBook or AIR right now would be reliving the Mac IIvx fiasco of days gone by, regretting their purchase BIG TIME when the new MBP's debut only months later.  But if there is no big update in June, then such further drives home the point that Apple is waning when it comes to innovation.  In either case, it does not look pretty at all.  I just sent my feedback to Apple.  Perhaps you should too:

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbook.html

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookair.html
    Give me a fracking break, Most desktops these days barely have 8GB as an entry point. Find another thing to bitch about.
    ration albaconstangai46bb-15
  • Reply 12 of 36
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,035member
    The MBA still has a few reasons to run to it and keep people from buying the Macbook -- Magsafe, price, screen size, CPU, video performance, battery life, USB3, Thunderbolt, HD camera, and SD card slot. If I was in the market for one right now Magsafe is on my must-have list. My wife recently got a nice used 2011 model (I found it on Craigslist) and her must-have were the USB ports (non-C type).
    ration albaconstangai46entropyswaverboy
  • Reply 13 of 36
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    linkman said:
     If I was in the market for one right now Magsafe is on my must-have list. 
    Eh, that's a bit old in the thinking. Magsafe has a lot more utility when the laptops are heavy enough to withstand a cord yank. Super light MacBooks simply don't.


    ai46
  • Reply 14 of 36
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Very sad. MacBook should be $999 (not $1,299) and have two USBc-thunderbold 3 ports and a FaceTime HD cam. Schiller is stingy-out. As for the MacBook Air, well... 
    edited April 2016 damonf
  • Reply 15 of 36
    The Macbook Air is Dead! All hail the MacBook Pro!

    I think deep down we all knew that the MBA was the future and now the MB and most likely the MBP are going to show us just that again. Heck, they are currently only 0.5 lbs apart in the 13" size, narrow that gap, and MBA is an MBP. I will not miss the Air moniker when all macbooks are "airy", will anyone? 
  • Reply 16 of 36
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    macapfel said:
    Definitely awkward at the moment. And confusing for the average customer (i.e. not AI reader). I just hope they come up with a more considerate line up. MacBook is fantastic, and so is the MacBook Pro. But the MBA? I would like to have a new Mac, but am currently unsure which one to buy.

    Sorry but you are an AI reader and you admit to finding the lineup confusing. And for good reason—it is. The confusing lineup is utter laziness. If the MB is about pushing things forward one port it not good enough (and adapters are disgusting). Imagine paying a minimum of $1,299 for a computer in 2016 and your FaceTime camera is 480p? The height of meanness on Apple's part. No excuses can convince me otherwise. Let's make the best computers God dammit, let's not just say we do. Let's be about the best products first and profit second, not profit first and computers second. If money is why your company exists than it's values are empty.

    I want something like a Retina MBA (13" or 14") thin, light and with several ports. And I don't want to pay $2,000 for it, or whatever Apple decides to charge when they introduce the new thin "pro" machine. They should have thinned out the MBA, gave it Retina, made it 14", kept the branding and brought the price to $1,299 with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and Skylake. MacBook should be $999 with 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports and a FaceTime camera worth pissing on. And the existing MBA lineup should be thrown in the dump. I like good design, I like things to be clean and well thought out and I don't like feel like I'm being shafted somehow. WTF are you doing Schiller? Next thing this beanbag will introduce iPhone 7 in 16 GB FFS! While your at it why not just remove the FaceTime camera altogether and walk on the stage at WWDC and say "fuck you customers...." and walk off. 
    edited April 2016 damonfkermit4krazy
  • Reply 17 of 36
    pmz said:
    linkman said:
     If I was in the market for one right now Magsafe is on my must-have list. 
    Eh, that's a bit old in the thinking. Magsafe has a lot more utility when the laptops are heavy enough to withstand a cord yank. Super light MacBooks simply don't.


    Really? OK. I’m not currently impressed with the updates today, but as an 11” and 13” MBA household I assure you, unless yours is faulty, that MagSafe works very well for both. I can’t even count the number of times both Macs have avoided a visit to the floor from being drunk, tired, or whatever and tripping over or otherwise yanking the cord that normally could be to the Macs detriment. Sometimes there’s a slight movement of the 11" before the magnet releases, but we’re talking a centimetre or two. Unless the Mac is already hanging half way over the table MagSafe will most likely save it. If your MagSafe isn’t working on either MBA from a typical yank or trip then either the port or cable are faulty.
    ration albaconstangwaverboy
  • Reply 18 of 36
    The saddest thing is that the 13" Air is probably the direction Apple SHOULD be going, instead of leaving it behind in favor of the overpriced, overhyped Macbook. The Air is priced right, has the ideal # and configuration of ports, and doesn't sacrifice functionality in favor of a fancy form and a high-priced screen that's overpriced and overkill for most users.
    irelandbaconstangbb-15entropyswaverboy
  • Reply 19 of 36
    ireland said:
    macapfel said:
    Definitely awkward at the moment. And confusing for the average customer (i.e. not AI reader). I just hope they come up with a more considerate line up. MacBook is fantastic, and so is the MacBook Pro. But the MBA? I would like to have a new Mac, but am currently unsure which one to buy.

    Sorry but you are an AI reader and you admit to finding the lineup confusing. And for good reason—it is. The confusing lineup is utter laziness. If the MB is about pushing things forward one port it not good enough (and adapters are disgusting). Imagine paying a minimum of $1,299 for a computer in 2016 and your FaceTime camera is 480p? That is just the hight of meanness on Apple's part. No excuses can convince me otherwise. Let's make the best computers God dammit, let's not just say we do. Let's be about the best products first and profit second, not profit first and best computers second.

    I want something like a Retina MBA (13" or 14") thin, light and with several ports. And I don't want to pay $2,000 for it, or whatever Apple decides to charge when they introduce the new thin "pro" machine. They should have thinned out the MBA, gave it Retina, made it 14", kept the branding and brought the price to $1,299 with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and Skylake. MacBook should be $999. with 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports.
    Agreed 100%. 
  • Reply 20 of 36
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    pmz said:
    Eh, that's a bit old in the thinking. Magsafe has a lot more utility when the laptops are heavy enough to withstand a cord yank. Super light MacBooks simply don't.
    Really? OK. I’m not currently impressed with the updates today, but as an 11” and 13” MBA household I assure you, unless yours is faulty, that MagSafe works very well for both.
    Good point about the 11" Air.
    edited April 2016 baconstang
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