Rumors - Macbook 13-Inch 2018

Apple creating new classics.

- Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan

2010 was a great year. Steve Jobs was still with us, the Saints won the SuperBowl, Spain won the first World Cup to be held in Africa, The Hurt Locker won best picture at the Oscars and Apple launched the 13-inch Macbook Air.

A lot has happened in the world and at Apple since then, but it would be a surprise to most people if you had told them that this model of the Macbook would still be one of Apple’s most popular selling computers eight years later.

AIR BREATHING - JUST

There are a lot of reasons why it is still a popular purchase. Most simply, a lot of regular, nontech people look at the machine with its reasonable screen size, polished metal chassis, great keyboard and touchpad and think “this is all I’m going to need”. Most people are not programmers, app developers or hardcore gamers so this is a perfectly fair and defensible proposition.

Like Steve Jobs when he unveiled the first Macbook Air in 2008, you can still lift it comfortably with one hand, although it’s harder to type this way. It has a magnetic magsafe cable for power that is an advantage over more modern USB C and Thunderbolt cables. Yes, it might not charge as quickly as the more modern iterations, but in a busy modern household or office, every reader of this magazine will be able to tell a story about the time they tripped over a cable and disaster was averted thanks to this safety feature.

The problem is one that confronts every designer of any major consumer product, whether it’s a pair of sneakers, cars, clothing, furniture or anything else – the current look or trend. Does it matter if something looks the same now as when it was launched in 2010?

THE LOOK IS LOVE