3 things you didn't know about the MacBook Air's demise

Back in 2010, Apple launched a new version of the MacBook Air. At that time, ultrabooks had not yet sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and most laptops were still relatively large, thick, and heavy. The launch of the MacBook Air was particularly stunning. Its extreme lightness, combined with its controlled size under a standard screen size and good battery life, made it very popular at the time.

However, apart from the significant improvement in battery life last year, the MacBook Air has not had any major updates that will impress people. The latest version does not include new technologies such as Retina Display and Force Touch. This has greatly reduced the competitiveness of the MacBook Air in the current market. On the contrary, Intel has promoted the "Ultrabook Movement" and has produced a large number of high-quality portable ultrabooks, such as Dell XPS 13, Asus UX501, etc., which are all strong competitors. In addition, Apple's newly launched MacBook also has the ability to directly threaten the MacBook Air. Under the double attack of internal and external troubles, the development prospects of the MacBook Air are not optimistic. The Verge also expressed their views in related reports that the Macbook Air is gradually heading towards extinction.

The demise of the Macbook Air may have been intentional on Apple's part

First of all, we can see that the lack of key technology is the main reason for the decline in the core competitiveness of MacBook Air. Force Touch and the Retina Display screen that many MacBook Air fans have complained about for a long time have missed the MacBook Air. The old advantages of thinness and battery life are obviously untenable.

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However, Apple's decision to focus on the New MacBook is not a random one. In terms of product, the New MacBook may not be as perfect as the MacBook Air, but in terms of lightness, thinness and portability, the New MacBook has indeed reached the extreme. Looking at the layout of Apple's notebook computer product line, there is not enough space to accommodate two products with very similarities, the MacBook and the MacBook Air. Judging from the situation, the sacrifice of the MacBook Air, which has not been updated for a long time, is inevitable.

The iPad Pro is not the catalyst for the MacBook Air's demise

Another new Apple product that has attracted much attention recently is the iPad Pro. Judging from the configurations revealed so far, the 12.9-inch screen, support for stylus and dedicated keyboard cover, and the inherent portability of a tablet computer can directly hit the pain points of the MacBook Air.

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However, according to current news, this iPad Pro is still equipped with iOS system, not Mac OS X. From the perspective that the smart system installed on the mobile phone cannot be compared with the desktop system, the iPad Pro and MacBook Air are still two products that meet different needs, and there is no threat to each other.

The catch-up of the Windows PC camp cannot be ignored

Due to the "Ultrabook Movement" promoted by Intel, major Windows PC manufacturers have accelerated the update and iteration of their Ultrabook products. There have been many improvements in terms of completion and experience. However, in terms of battery life, balance and stability, they still lack certain competitiveness when facing Apple.

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However, in the long run, the impact of Windows ultrabooks cannot be ignored.

In summary, the survival space of MacBook Air has been greatly compressed

With Windows PCs catching up from outside and tough rivals like the New MacBook from within, coupled with the lack of updates for a long time, the future of MacBook Air is very bleak. But as far as current analysis is concerned, the pressure from internal struggles will be even greater if MacBook Air is pushed to the brink of despair. Or, this may be Apple's own intention. To sum it up with a sentence from The Verge columnist Vlad Savov:

"Apple is slowly, slowly, sucking out the air that the MacBook Air relies on to survive."