{"id":7889,"date":"2015-03-25T10:00:56","date_gmt":"2015-03-25T14:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=7889"},"modified":"2015-03-25T10:00:56","modified_gmt":"2015-03-25T14:00:56","slug":"review-the-2015-macbook-airs-once-trailblazing-design-is-showing-its-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/03\/25\/review-the-2015-macbook-airs-once-trailblazing-design-is-showing-its-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The 2015 MacBook Air\u2019s once-trailblazing design is showing its age"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/arstechnica.com\/apple\/2015\/03\/review-the-2015-macbook-airs-once-trailblazing-design-is-showing-its-age\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"653\" width=\"980\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/DSC00306-980x653.jpg?resize=980%2C653\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The current design of the MacBook Air was a big deal when it was unveiled back in 2010. Its construction and design were a major improvement over previous Airs, it was Apple&#8217;s first Mac to go with solid-state storage across the lineup, and it came with a price drop that made them palatable to people who otherwise would have just bought a vanilla MacBook. The MacBook Pro soon imitated the Air by getting thinner, moving to standard SSDs, and dumping stuff like FireWire and the optical drive. And the new MacBook takes the qualities of the Air\u2014thin, light, minimalist\u2014to their logical extremes.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, as the rest of the MacBook lineup and the wider PC industry has shifted around it, the Air&#8217;s design has stood still. Visually, there is absolutely nothing to distinguish the 2015 MacBook Air from the 2013\/2014 model that preceded it. Functionally, the differences are relatively minor. You swap out Intel&#8217;s Haswell processors for newer Broadwell equivalents, which provide a speed increase but not a big one. The Thunderbolt port now uses Thunderbolt 2. Battery life, the biggest improvement in the 2013 Air, is about the same.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few notable things about this update\u2014we ran the Air through our standard battery of tests and have all the data you need below\u2014but unfortunately it doesn&#8217;t do much to bring this once-forward-thinking design into an era where its best qualities have been co-opted and improved upon by other laptops.<\/p>\n<p>2010&#8217;s laptop in 2015<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/arstechnica.com\/apple\/2015\/03\/review-the-2015-macbook-airs-once-trailblazing-design-is-showing-its-age\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"532\" width=\"980\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc00312-980x532.jpg?resize=980%2C532\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Read More: <a href=\"http:\/\/arstechnica.com\/apple\/2015\/03\/review-the-2015-macbook-airs-once-trailblazing-design-is-showing-its-age\/\" target=\"_blank\">Review: The 2015 MacBook Air\u2019s once-trailblazing design is showing its age | Ars Technica<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The current design of the MacBook Air was a big deal when it was unveiled back in 2010. Its construction [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,3,10],"tags":[643],"class_list":["post-7889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apple","category-hardware","category-technology","tag-macbook-air"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-23f","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9940,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2025\/05\/16\/the-blue-and-the-gray-m4-macbook-air-m4-max-mac-studio-apple-intelligence\/","url_meta":{"origin":7889,"position":0},"title":"The Blue and the Gray &#8211; M4 MacBook Air, M4 Max Mac Studio, Apple Intelligence","author":"NCCT","date":"May 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/e_K-4_7i08k Is Apple's 'Sky Blue' really blue? Apple is delaying its 'more personalized Siri' Apple Intelligence features. Is anyone excited about RollerCoaster Tycoon coming to Apple Arcade? And Dropbox now supports Live Photos! ... after ten years. \u2022 Sky (blue)\u2019s the limit: M4 MacBook Air offers lower price, improved camera,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Apple&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/e_K-4_7i08k\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7852,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/03\/20\/13-inch-broadwell-macbook-showdown-should-you-go-pro-or-get-an-air\/","url_meta":{"origin":7889,"position":1},"title":"13-inch Broadwell MacBook showdown: Should you go Pro or get an Air?","author":"NCCT","date":"March 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The 13-inch MacBook Pro and the 13-inch MacBook Air were once very different computers that served very different needs. One was bulkier but pretty fast and user-serviceable, while the other was thin-and-light to a fault, arriving with anemic low-power CPUs and GPUs, slow hard drives, and no easy means to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Apple&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc00299-980x653.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc00299-980x653.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc00299-980x653.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc00299-980x653.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9812,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2024\/11\/08\/slow-and-steady-m4-macbook-pro-apple-q424-pixelmator\/","url_meta":{"origin":7889,"position":2},"title":"Slow and Steady &#8211; M4 MacBook Pro, Apple Q424, Pixelmator","author":"NCCT","date":"November 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/etW5-oInyGA As expected following the end of last week's MacBreak Weekly, Apple announced the new M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max MacBook Pros. Jason recaps the results of Apple's Q424. And Apple acquires Pixelmator. \u2022 Early Apple M4 Pro and M4 Max benchmarks hint at a massive performance boost. \u2022\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Apple&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/etW5-oInyGA\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9383,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2018\/07\/22\/the-new-screen-savers-166-new-i9-macbook-pro-cant-take-the-heat\/","url_meta":{"origin":7889,"position":3},"title":"The New Screen Savers 166: New i9 MacBook Pro Can&#8217;t Take the Heat?","author":"NCCT","date":"July 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/quOpSX1xFpc 2018 MacBook Pro throttled, Nuraphone's headphones tuned for you, Moto Z3 Play review, and more. On The New Screen Savers, with Leo Laporte and Patrick Norton recorded on Saturday, July 21, 2018: - The MacBook Pro (2018) is here. Leo and Patrick push its new i9 Intel chip to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Apple&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/quOpSX1xFpc\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8931,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2016\/05\/26\/this-week-in-computer-hardware-365-new-macbook-pro-wait-for-it-people\/","url_meta":{"origin":7889,"position":4},"title":"This Week in Computer Hardware 365: New MacBook Pro? Wait for it People!","author":"NCCT","date":"May 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/mrdElePB5-A Hosts: Patrick Norton, Allyn Malventano Toshiba OCZ RD400 review by Allyn Malventano, HP's Omen gaming laptops with aggressive pricing, Pebble's Kickstarter success with new wearables, Quiet PC's Ultra NUC Pro 6, In Win's 303 enclosure, Nvidia's 368.22 Drivers for Overwatch, and more!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hardware&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hardware","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/hardware\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/mrdElePB5-A\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8026,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/04\/15\/this-week-in-computer-hardware-310-2015-macbook-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":7889,"position":5},"title":"This Week in Computer Hardware 310: 2015 Macbook Reviews","author":"NCCT","date":"April 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Hosts: Patrick Norton and Ryan Shrout \u00a0 The new MacBook's have some harsh reviews, the MSI GS30 Shadow and GamingDock review, Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4 3400 review, NZXT S340 mid tower enclosure, DARKCOOL Steam Castle case review, Intel Compute Stick available for pre-order, the ASUS MG279Q now officially a FreeSync\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hardware&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hardware","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/hardware\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7889\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}