I'm going to let you in on a secret: In the lead-up to Apple's big Mac-and-iPad event last month, Team Engadget had a prewritten story ready to go in the event that Apple finally killed off the Air line. Needless to say, that article never saw the light of day.

It's over a decade since the very first MacBook Air went to market, heralding in the era of the ultra-thin notebook. Indeed, it was the thinnest available at the time. But oh how times move fast and the MacBook Air had been becoming something of a relic; a laptop surrounded by Windows-based...

High-res ‘Retina' display with smaller bezel than previous Air models; Large trackpad with Force Touch control; Touch ID login via fingerprint is great; Smaller and lighter footprint adds to appeal

Loud and sometimes unresponsive keyboard; Only Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports and no SD card slot; Confuses the MacBook/Air/Pro lineup; No Face ID; Strong Windows 10 competition now

Apple has repeatedly described the MacBook Air as the most popular Mac in its lineup, with years of neglect leaving some intimidatingly large shoes for the new 2018 upgrade to fill.

Current Hardware; MacBook Air; Mac; Review; reviews

I was so confused about which laptop to buy, I went around getting loads of advice, annoyed with myself because I kept coming back to apple (don't like the price) It simple to use, easy to use with all my other apple products, 2 year guarantee in JL swung it for me and also knowing I can get free...

Great product worth the money without a question after all it is a Mac and the retina display is amazing. Strong suggestion spend the extra money and get the larger hard drive. Costco benefit is 2 year warrantee not standard Apple 1 year also priced at the Apple education level which saves about...

Editor's note, Nov. 16 : Originally published Nov. 6, this review has been updated with final benchmark and battery life scores, as well as a review rating. Apple's MacBook Air has gotten a much-needed reboot, keeping the name, but changing just about everything else, both outside and in.

The MacBook is now smaller and lighter, with a better display, faster processors and a bigger touchpad; The MacOS experience and all-day battery are still big selling points

The starting price has shot up significantly, despite sticking with dual-core CPUs; The shallow butterfly keyboard and limited ports may feel like a step back from the previous Air

Ultimately, if you must have a macOS machine for casual use, the MacBook Air will not let you down. More capable than the 12-inch MacBook, with its single I/O port, and less expensive than the MacBook Pro, this laptop offers a thoroughly excellent experience for performing casual computing tasks and...

Retina Display offers vivid colors; Very comfortable Force Touch trackpad; Secure boot capability; Two Thunderbolt 3 ports; Excellent battery life

No CPU configuration options; Y-series, not U-series, CPU; No touch screen; No USB Type-A ports or dedicated video output; Shallow key travel; Expensive as configured; Occasional fan noise

After our time with the new MacBook Air, we are still struggling with the verdict. Besides the device itself, you also have to consider Apple's other laptops, especially the two 13-inch MacBook Pro models. But let's start with the new Air first.

high quality case; good screen; 2x USB-C w/ Thunderbolt 3; long battery runtime; great touchpad; Touch-ID fingerprint scanner; often silent operation; very good speakers; decent everyday performance

comparatively low CPU performance; display is not as good as on the MacBook Pros; only USB-C and stereo jack; fan is way too loud for this level of performance; long charging time; old Wi-Fi module without Bluetooth 5.0; no SD reader; very high prices for storage upgrades

The Apple MacBook Air (2018) delivers the much-anticipated update into the already excellent premium line of thin-and-light laptops, backed by new features, better design and solid components that will make Apple Fans happy.

The fan is blowing on this brand-new MacBook Air with Retina Display. It's a familiar sound: a computer trying to cool down a processor that's being overtaxed by one of the eight or so apps I have running. (In this case, it's TweetDeck going rogue.

Retina Display; Touch ID; Great new trackpad; Superb build quality

Display doesn't get super bright; Not a huge speed upgrade; USB-C ecosystem still a hassle; For $100 more; you can get a more powerful 13-inch MacBook Pro or smaller 12-inch MacBook