Apple finally Comes up for Air

To those for whom the MacBook Air is indispensable, Apple's event offered enormous relief.

My MacBook Air is writing this article on its own.

The keys are moving faster than my fingers can go.

You see, my Air has been wanting to retire for some time. It's looking worn. It's feeling worn.

You can't even see the A on its A Key.

And now finally, finally, Apple announced at its Brooklyn Event today, there's a replacement.

Naturally, it's still called the MacBook Air. The Air doesn't get the new names phones do. That's because Apple seems rarely to have known what to do with it, leaving it neglected.

At the event, Tim Cook had the excitable gall to waffle on about "adventurous and cutting-edge performers" -- gosh, Serena Williams and Paul McCartney both use Macs -- yet omitted to mention how little Apple had done for the Mac lately.

And how even less of it had been good.

Apple's presenters kept going on about what customers have been asking for. Why, those customers wonder, has it taken so long?

Oh, the phones are more important, right?

My current Air looks at the new one and is envious of its fuller screen. The aluminum bezels have gone. The display has staggered into the modern world with Retina. Yet it appears there's only one size, the 13.3-inch screen.

My 11-inch screen MacBook Air bows gracefully and hopes I'll be able to deal with something a little bigger.

But not heavier. It's 0.25 lbs lighter. I wonder if I'll be able to feel it. I wonder if I'll be able to deal with the Force Touch Trackpad.

I've never had to force anything with my Air. It's been the most reliable and excellent Apple product I've ever owned.

And this new one is made of 100 percent recycled aluminum. Does that mean it's made from old MacBook Airs?

The supposedly wise had warned my Air -- and me -- that the Air would be retired. My Air feared it would have to work till it dropped. Who wants to do that?

Yet now Apple has suddenly noticed that people are still using it.

And, having noticed, it's noticed that it can charge you an extra $200 for the new MacBook Air. It's now $1,199.

I'll have to buy one. It's the least I can do for a machine that's been loyal, light and lively every day.

It deserves a perfect retirement.

Scenes from Apple's iPad Pro and Mac eve...



SOURCE ZDNet: