When it first launched, the MacBook Air was the classiest, most portable laptop around, its aluminium casing making it stand out for weight and looks. It often drew gasps when people picked it up for the first time.
Now, in a world of ultrabooks and tablets, it needs to prove itself all over again. The rumour was that the 2013 MacBook Airs would have Retina displays, the high-resolution screens now found on some 13-in and 15-in MacBook Pro models. That didn’t happen.
MacBook Air 13-inch: Size and build
With the iPhone 5’s shift to aluminum (from the iPhone 4S’ glass), every one of Apple’s desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones is now made of aluminum. You can do much worse. Aluminum is fairly lightweight, it’s sturdy, and it retains that “premium” allure that Apple’s customers covet.
Processor
Here we’re comparing apples and oranges, or, rather, x86 and ARM. But the gap might be shrinking a bit, as mobile processors are growing faster and more powerful, while laptop processors (like Intel’s new Haswell Core i5 processors) are delivering better and better battery life.
RAM
Good luck finding an ARM-based tablet with 4 GB of RAM. Again, though, we’re comparing desktop vs. mobile operating systems, so the iPad’s 1 GB of RAM should go plenty far for your tablet needs.
Starting price
