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2011 vs 2015 vs 2021: How Old Is Too Old For An Apple Ultraportable?
A laptop has become the standard form for computers for most people and for some the smaller the better. Screens that hover around the 11" mark have enough room to multitask yet never feel like wasted space when just doing one thing. They slot into a rucksack a heck of a lot easier and are much more efficient in an office or at home. These ‘Ultraportables’ are available from a variety of brands, yet surprisingly Apple isn’t one of them.
Or at least not anymore.
The Macbook Air has long been considered the darling and indeed progenitor of the Ultraportable space. Famously pulled out of a manila envelope by Steve Jobs on its reveal, its latest version still sets the standard for power and battery life. The only problem? Apple in their infinite wisdom only makes it in 2 sizes: 13" and 15" screen sizes. If you’re after an 11" modern Apple ‘laptop’ your only choice is an iPad Pro which presents its own problems.
It wasn’t always this way. Up until 2015 Apple marketed and sold an 11" Macbook Air. With 9 hours battery on its birth operating system and equivalent specs to the larger model all you really lost was mass and volume which was kind of the point. I’m not saying these machines are particularly sought after but there is a reason I have hung onto mine for all these years!
