MacBook Air 2020

When you use a Mac every day, every day, it's easy to forget how those thousands of people who voluntarily choose to behave with an apple logo computer feel, despite the huge supply of cheaper computers we find.

It's like wondering every time you start the miracle car that the starter supposes and that the car moves. Assume it is.

Another thing that affects is that an Apple computer (usually) has been in service for so many years without problems that it is necessary to reach an edge situation to having to buy another computer.

As you can see, I am talking here about the "serious" use of the computer, not the "fashionable" way in which the purchase is something superfluous that you do because you have the money and you want it.

My computer pool can be a handy reference: I use an iMac (2007), a second generation MacBook Air (2011) and a MacBook Pro (2016).

They are all on, working and used on a daily basis.

In fact, the 2020 MacBook Air replaces its predecessor, which is - by far - the one that has had the worst aging (as can be seen from the photos, the battery swelled by deforming the keyboard).

Unpacking

I am not going to document the experience of unpacking the computer, which is a reverent operation, with each step properly thought out so that it cannot be done hastily or carelessly.

From the "handle" that allows you to detach the external plastic casing, to the joint of the top cover that detaches at the speed of a special capsule, to the plastic that wraps the computer itself, or to the thin sheet that protects the screen ...

I already paid tribute to this ritual when I talked about the Apple Watch.

When you gain access to the computer, you are almost in a position of worship.

Start your computer

The popularization of the iPhone made the almost magical experience of setting up your Mac from scratch quite universal, taking advantage of the preferences saved in iCloud.

The Apple configurator accompanies you step by step - now also with the fingerprint registration process to unlock and authenticate you - and after a few minutes (depending on the strength of your WiFi network) you have the computer ready to start working.

The App Store allows you to get the applications you use back on your computer quickly and conveniently, yes. need serial numbers, licenses or something.

Worse

The MacBook Air's bondage is the poor output connectivity it has. Two USB 3 ports on one side and the headphone jack on the other (the months will surely be numbered).

This requires having a hub that expands ports. In my case (see photo) I have one from Apple, which adds an HDMI port, a "normal" USB port and a USB3 port. I also have a Trust USB-3 to USB-A hub that allows me to connect external drives and even an LED lamp that connects via USB.

For some reason I haven't investigated yet (it's been two days with MB Air) the Thrust port expander is not working connected to the Apple dongle. In fact, for the previous MacBook Air I bought a USB3 to USB adapter, so I can connect it to a USB port, with full satisfaction.

The problem is that I have to connect the HDMI for the external monitor, so apparently I'm in a bind. That is, there is a way out, which is to buy a new hub, but we will deal with this later.

utilization

As I said, I've been using the MacBook Air for two days, so I can't draw conclusions from system performance, but I've done what most users do with this laptop: mail, web browsing, iMovie, WhatsApp, Pages, ...

Behavior is stellar, with apps opening in a second and smooth transitions between them.

This is the low-end MacBook Air, with 13-inch screen, with dual-core Intel Core i3, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of hard disk.

In the past, with the 2011 MacBook Air, I visited Apple Premium Resellers and Apple Stores demonstrating to the public how Parallels allowed them to use Windows, Linux, and previous versions of MacOS by loading them from a Samsung external hard drive with a standard USB connection, then nine years later I have no reason to think that at some point I will notice that he lacks power in my daily work.

The keyboard is a joy, soft but firm under pressure… you can type for hours without getting tired. And I can consciously say this because, to increase the distance from the screen, I usually type with a wired Apple keyboard (the aluminum ones) and this old keyboard looks grotesque by comparison when you notice how the laptop keyboard strokes your fingertips. fingers.

Those of you who read me know that I am not a numbers person or that I am interested in the result of the performances. I'm interested in the experience, what it conveys to the user. To enjoy performance you can visit GeekBench

Conclusions

The MacBook Air has everything the hobbyist user could want from a computer: it weighs little, making it easy to carry around. It has power, which means it will be able to do whatever you need to. It is sturdy, with the unibody aluminum casing. Also affordable (this model costs, in round figures, € 1.200, that is € 100 per month) and, all in all, a nice piece of electronics.

If their conditions are not a problem (the limitation of connectivity and - by their very nature - the small screen) they will be able to use them for many years without having to waste time to grieve with the maintenance of the machine.

The MacBook Air is the answer to the needs of 95% of users.

What is the last computer you bought? How long has it been since the previous one?