This story is part of WWDC 2022, CNET’s full coverage of and about Apple’s annual developer conference.
The new Apple M2-powered MacBook Air adds a lot of new features, but it also brings me my least favorite: the starting price of the laptop is over $ 999.
For much of its life, the MacBook Air sat at a comfortable $ 999, but in 2018 a redesign raised the price by $ 200. By 2020, the starting price was $ 999 again, and I felt like things were the way they should be.
Guess what? Now it’s 2022 and with another redesign, the MacBook Air starts at $ 1,199 … again.
I’m talking about it just because this significant leap for a very conventional laptop will put it out of the reach of many of the students and artists who could get the most out of it. Other than that, I like almost the rest of the new version. It’s also worth noting that the late 2020 MacBook Air M1 is still available, for now, for $ 999.
Now playing: look at this – practice with Apple’s new MacBook Air M2
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After the presentation of WWDC 2022 on Monday, I had the opportunity to get limited practice time with the new MacBook Air. It wasn’t long, so I focused mainly on the new physical design and how the system looked and felt.
The MacBook Air M1, one of the first Mac sets to go from Intel to Apple Silicon, is not a bad-looking machine, but it is based on a design that was launched in 2018, which is about an eternity in computer terms. The new version goes from the traditional sleek, tapered design to the more boxy, blocky-looking 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops of late 2021. It’s a more modern, constructivist design (in that it largely rejects decorative styling).
Dan Ackerman / CNET
But the new MacBook Air goes beyond the Pro models it copies in one important aspect: it adds a new color to the usual gray and silver (and the gold of the M1 Air): a new Midnight color, which appears as a black finish mat. . It’s arguably the most amazing new MacBook look in a long time and reminds me of the old matte black polycarbonate MacBooks of the mid-2000s.
Its footprint is a hair smaller than before, as is the weight, at 2.7 pounds compared to 2.8 pounds for the MacBook Air M1. But the new model felt even smaller and more portable than that when I picked it up, mostly because it’s thinner, at 11.3mm. The M1 version is reduced, but measures 16 mm on the rear hinge.
The new MacBook Air M2 won’t go on sale until July, so it may be some time before I can give you a more detailed hands-on test. I’m especially excited to see how your 1080p resolution webcam works, which is probably the most important update for many people who are tired of the larger 720p webcam of previous MacBook Air laptops, even all inclusive Version M1.
Dan Ackerman / CNET
I’m also very interested in spending more time with the new slightly larger 13.6-inch screen (compared to 13.3-inch), which Apple says is 25% brighter, at 500 nights. It also adds MagSafe, which returned to the new MacBook Pro systems last year, and its touchpad is, according to Apple, a little bigger, but would not put a number or a percentage.
Interestingly, almost none of these enhancements are available on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, also announced at WWDC 2022. It lacks the larger screen, better camera, MagSafe connection, and new colors. It’s at least on paper, exactly the same as the late 13-inch MacBook Pro in late 2020, only with the new M2 chip replacing the M1. However, it is still the only way to put your hands (or fingers) on the almost extinct touch bar.