The fifth generation MacBook Air will most likely be the last one, unless some kind of miracle happens that convinces Apple to spare resources from the next MacBook Pro, and the next generation 12 inch MacBook Retina.
The Retina display was one of the most powerful signs of the times a changin’ for Apple fans, which began with the Retina display migrating from the iPhone 4 to virtually any display in the Apple universe.
The MacBook Air never got that upgrade, most likely because Apple has no intention of releasing this model anymore. When looking at the modern lineup of Mac devices, starting from the Colossal and Ginormous iMac Retina dynamic duo, featuring a terrifying pixel count that makes the MacBook Air’s native 1440 by 900 pixels resolution look like a postage stamp.
Is a MacBook Air versus iMac Retina 5K an unfair comparison? Perhaps a “little”, but even if we compared the 12 inch MacBook 2304 by 1440 pixels Retina display to the MacBook Air, the former’s height resolution matches the latter’s width, at a 16:10 corresponding aspect ratio, which is not half bad (pun intended), for a 12 inch laptop.
The truth is, the Retina display makes a big difference in image quality and resolution, especially on smaller screens.
With that said, the MacBook Air has a few things that still make consumers root in its favor, the first of which is price. The Macbook Air is perhaps the most attainable Mac available, aside from the Mac Mini, with some rather decent specs. The fifth generation model comes with a 3.2GHz Intel i7, while the 12 inch MacBook Retina sports a 3.1GHz Intel Core m7. Battery life is also something that the MacBook Air prides itself with, clocking in at two full hours on top of the 12 inch Retina model, which pays that price with the higher wattage required by the Retina display and graphic hardware.
For those who do mind the lack of ports on the 12 inch model, the MacBook Air still provides a decent array, with two USB 3.0 ports, a Thunderbolt 2 port, and an SDXC card slot. Additional ports can also be added to the 12 inch model, but the adapters may add a cost that consumers on a budget may not see as necessary, even if a good adapter costs less than the $200 difference between the 12 inch MacBook Retina and the 13 inch MacBook Air.
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