Apple, when it does its best, revolutionizes the markets in which it is present. The MacBook Air is just one more example of a long list of geniuses that emerged from Cupertino and that, more or less quickly, have been adopted by the rest of the industry. From revolutionary devices to design philosophies that have become the de facto standard over the years. Like it or not, everyone looks at Apple.
I’m not saying, before I’m accused of it, that everything Apple does is done right. As a user of the brand for many years now, I have no qualms about criticizing it when I think they have made a mistake and, as it shows, all my publications over the years are there. On some occasion there has been someone who has described me as fanboy of the company, but in truth I am much more critical of it than any person deserving of such a description would be.
The original MacIntosh, the iMac, the iBooks (which were succeeded by the MacBooks), the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad… the list is quite extensive and, in all cases, the rest of the technological companies have followed suit. And this is very positive, of course, just like when it occurs in the opposite direction, that is, when Apple takes design elements from other technology companies and adds them to the design of its own products.
A few days ago we remembered, for its anniversary, the presentation of the first iPhone, one of Steve Jobs’ most historic moments on stage, in a presentation full of the most interesting anecdotes, such as the fact that the prototype used by Jobs failed more than once. fair shotgun, and that it was a great luck, and relief for many, that everything finally went well during one of the most remembered Apple keynotes by many.
And today we celebrate another anniversary, in this case the MacBook Air, which is 15 years old. Also introduced by Steve Jobs on stage, Apple boasted in its press release that it had designed the world’s thinnest laptop. And it was completely true, because its ultra-compact design (giving the starting signal to the designs unibody) without active cooling elements (another surprising first) allowed a PC with a 13.3-inch screen and full-size keyboard to be condensed into a body that was only 1.9 centimeters thick, thus breaking the record of the Toshiba Portege R200 with its 1.98 centimeters.
“When you first see the MacBook Air, it’s hard to believe it’s a high-performance laptop with a full-size keyboard and screen. But it isJobs said during the presentation. And it was totally true, so much so that it was hard to believe, even when we had the opportunity to try it for the first time, as it really was, because let’s remember that it equipped an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with up to 1.8 gigahertz with 4 MB of L2 cache, 2 gigabytes of RAM and an 80 gigabyte hard drive. Nothing, but not bad, if we take into account that we are talking about 2008.
You either remember what came next or you probably imagined it: the design approach of the original MacBook Air began to catch on with the competition, which little by little made the leap to unibody chassis, passive dissipation and maximum use of space to offer lighter laptops but in which performance was not penalized. Something that, a few years later, would give rise to the Intel Ultrabook specification, which had such an impact in the world of mobility.
You already know the rest of the story, the MacBook Air is one of the brand’s most successful products and, during these fifteen years, it has undergone endless changes and innovations. A month ago, for example, we told you that Apple is working on the first model of this family that will make the leap to 15 inches, in addition to having been, in June last year, one of the two systems in which the expected Apple M2 chip. Thus, with 15 years behind us, and barring any surprises, we can say that the MacBook Air still has a lot of life ahead of it.
Opening image: Matthew Yohe
