My MacBook Air Chronicles: A 5‑Year Sidekick That Took a Stop
For half a decade, I carried around a solid 13‑inch MacBook Air for work after my 2009 MacBook Pro decided it was time to kick the dust and retire. I wasn’t settling for the ordinary—at Sim Lim Square I snagged a used MacBook Air that was already spec‑lifted, so it felt more like a second‑hand powerhouse than a budget tote.
The Good & Bad of the “Best Seller”
- Portability – Slip it into any bag and it’s basically invisible.
- Reliability – Handled my everyday tasks without a hiccup.
- Cheap as chips – the most affordable Apple laptop in the market.
Shortcomings? Two in particular made my heart skip a beat: the thunderbolt/USB‑C ports that replaced all those familiar USB-A slots, and that infamous butterfly keyboard. The former can be tamed with a “dongle life” (seriously, who has the patience for that?), but the latter is a nightmare. “Butterfly” as a verb? Trying to type on it feels like you’re climbing a slippery slide.
Why It Still Rocks
Despite its quirks, the MacBook Air is Apple’s best‑selling Mac. Not just because it’s the cheapest go‑to, but because it’s dependable for honest, everyday use, and it’s almost unnoticeable when you’re on the move.
Work, School, and the World of COVID
Times have changed, though—traveling for work or school is a thing of the past (at least for the foreseeable future) because of the coronavirus outbreak. If you’re not a frontline hero (props to the brave ones out there), you’re likely working from home. That’s where my trusty Air comes in: the silent partner for those endless Zoom doses and frantic deadline chases.
MacBook Air 2020: Your Desk‑Beta Hero During Lockdown
Picture this: you’re stuck at home, the world’s been put on pause, and you’ve got a MacBook Air 2020 grumbling on your desk like a loyal sidekick. Even though the pandemic means we’re not dancing across the globe with a laptop in tow, the need for a reliable machine still stands strong. And honestly, Apple might have dropped a gem with this slim‑profile beast.
So, how does it perform when you’re basically a full‑time WFH superhero?
- Lightning‑Fast Power. The M1 chip makes multitasking feel like a breeze—no more waiting for PowerPoint to load while you’re on a conference call.
- Battery That Outlasts a Netflix Marathon. You’ll still have three to four more hours of work after that caf\u00e9 break.
- Screen That Doesn’t Blur Your Zoom Face. The retina display gives your video calls a sharp edge—because you deserve to look like a pro.
- Quiet, Quiet, Quiet. No whir‑wham of fans—solely fan‑free cooling means less noise for the kids (and for your cat who loves to watch you stare at a screen).
- Portability Jackpot. At just 2.7 lbs, it folds into your bag in seconds—just when you need to dig your laptop out for a quick walk outside.
Even in a situation where you never need to rush out of the apartment, a MacBook Air 2020 is the perfect sidekick to keep your work life humming, your entertainment smooth, and your mood high. So, if you’re still debating whether to book a new laptop during lockdown, consider this slimcyber‑wonder—one that hasn’t been outshined since the 2011 model.
Working
Apple Finally Abandons the Butterfly Keyboard—A Welcome Relief for MacBook Users
For years, the butterfly mechanism—the slick, ultra‑thin switch Apple rolled out in 2015—has been a source of frustration for many. While it was all about sleekness and a slimmer chassis, it paid the price in long‑term reliability and typing comfort.
Key Takeaways from the New Macs
- Traditional scissor‑style keys re‑introduce a proven, dependable feel.
- Both the 16‑inch MacBook Pro and the newly released MacBook Air now sport the clicky, satisfying tactile feedback previously missing.
- This move will probably earn Apple a new grade—on the comfort scale, at least.
What it Means for Power Users
If you’re in a job that demands you to be verbose, loquacious, and effusive—that is, if you routinely jamming out paragraphs of text—this keyboard update is especially welcome. Instead of tiresome, mushy key presses, you now get the classic scissor‑style travel that keeps your fingers dancing, not grumbling.
Bottom Line
Apple’s pivot away from the butterfly design signals a commitment to functionality over aesthetics. For everyday writers, it’s a game‑changer: type away with the confidence that each keystroke is both clicky and comfortable, making long sessions feel like a breeze rather than a chore.
The MacBook Air: Powering Through Your Daily Grind
When you’re juggling Slack, Tweetdeck, Messenger, Spotify, Airmail, Scrivener, Fantastical, and a full‑blown Chrome session with a ten‑tab affair, the MacBook Air feels like a solid sidekick that barely whines. It’s the kind of machine you’d pick if you’re hunting for the next laptop upgrade in a pinch.
Why the Air Holds Up So Well
First up, you’re looking at the new 4‑core Core i5 version—the one that racks in a modest $150 on top of the dual‑core i3. And honestly, it works. Even when you drag in Adobe’s heavier apps, it stays in the dog‑food lane and keeps your workflow humming tick‑to‑tock. The difference is slight, though; the MacBook Pro still edges out when the load gets truly intense.
Heat‑Up: The Little Problem with Too Many Apps
Feed it a flurry of demanding programs, and it starts to feel the burn. The top‑back section above the keyboard begins to showcase some ‘hotness’—a gentle reminder that there’s a limit to how much multitasking can be squeezed into thin air.
- Mind the over‑heat if you’re running batch jobs or video rendering.
- Ventilation helps: keep a mini fan on your desk or make a case out of your old laptop.
- Balancing your plug‑ins may keep things chill.
Bottom Line
In the grand scheme, the MacBook Air stays honest—solid for day‑to‑day stuff, but wobbles in the high‑stick sports. If your main game is emails, docs, and a sprinkle of streaming, this mini powerhouse is your ticket. For the heavy hitters, the Pro presents a better match. Either way, you get enough firepower to keep pace without a lot of fuss.
What Wi‑Fi Fans Should Know
There’s a built‑in temptation to turn up the volume of notifications while you’re in the middle of a webinar, but most people who’re doing light‑weight tasks on the web shouldn’t run into any serious hiccups.
Why haul a MacBook Air around just to play 4K video? It’s a slightly inflated drama.
Real‑World Tech Roadblocks
- USB‑C Hunt: You’re tempted to scramble for a dongle just to copy photos from an SD card or connect to your monitor—talk about the “dongle life”.
- Late‑comer Woes: Even if you’re a bit behind the curve, ditching the dongle lifestyle and embracing a more “plug‑and‑play” approach can save you time and headache.
Bottom line: Keep your setup lean and simple—no need for extra gadgets when the basics will do the job.
Telecommunicating
Webcams: The Unsung Stars of the Pandemic
Long before the world went full Zoom-mode, laptop webcams were the quiet sidekicks of our daily grind. Nobody had any grand expectations for them—so little was known about their true potential—because we hardly ever used them except to take selfies or show off cat antics.
Why webcams suddenly became the MVPs
When lockdown hit, our lives morphed into a 24‑hour “work‑play” hybrid:
- Work Meetings – Converting office walls into a virtual conference room meant cameras had to pop on, off, and on again—every. single. day.
- Home School – Kids learning from their kitchen table made the webcams a essential classroom accessory.
- Social Fun – From virtual happy hours to birthday parties, webcams were now the go‑to gateway to social interaction.
All of a sudden, yesterday’s “I can barely see myself on screen” labors were replaced by a frantic need for sharp, reliable image quality. And our familiar, underwhelming webcams were upgraded and finally given a chance to shine.
Think of it like this:
In the grand movie of the pandemic, the webcam is that friendly hallway camera that suddenly turns into the star of the premiere. It was low‑budget, wasn’t it? But it delivered the best home‑made cinematic experience we could get.
So it’s just too bad that even for a newfangled MacBook Air in 2020, the inbuilt front-facing camera is of potato quality.
Now to be fair, nobody expected Apple to have foreseen the need for better inbuilt webcams due to a global pandemic, but when front-facing selfie cameras on our phones prove to be better serving than a 720p webcam on a laptop launched in 2020, it does make you wonder why.
The webcam is decent if you’re lucky enough to get sufficient daylight in your teleconferencing environment, but expect super-grainy footage when you don’t. It sucks because we can’t exactly go out and get ourselves a fancy external webcam, what with electronics retailers not being open and all. 
Microphone & Audio: The Real Talk
Mic Magic
Our internal mic is actually pretty good, at least when it comes to capturing background noise. I had to shut off my desk fan because it kept drowning out everyone else on calls.
Headphone Compatibility
- There’s a simple headphone jack for wired headphones—no Bluetooth drama.
- It’s been a lifesaver when my Bluetooth earbuds start acting like they’re on a vacation.
- Solid audio and no lag—just pure talking.
When the Laptop Falls Short
Let’s be honest: nobody expects a laptop to be the sound engineer’s dream. The recent circuit breaker incident only made us more aware of how mediocre most laptops, including Apple’s, are when it comes to teleconferencing tools.
Emotional Reality Check
We all love clear audio, but the grim truth is that many laptops deliver a “good enough” experience that leaves room for conversations to slip through the cracks. So if you’re relying on mediocre hardware, be prepared for a few awkward pauses.
Gaming
When Your Air Turns into a Hot Spot
Let’s face it – Air loves to heat up, and as a power user, you’ll often hit its processing limits.
- Heavy tasks: Think gaming, video editing, or running heavy simulations.
- Result: Thermal throttling kicks in, cranking down your CPU’s speed to keep it from blowing up.
- Consequence: Your pc slows down right when you need it most.
Bottom line: If most of your home work involves high-intensity gigs, be ready to deal with the “cool‑down” effect.
Running Games on an Intel Iris Plus Machine
Short and sweet: this laptop isn’t built for triple‑A titles.
- Indie gems like Stardew Valley and GRIS play smoothly.
- Mid‑level shooter Superhot feels a bit sluggish.
Bottom line? That’s the trade‑off with an integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics card.
Content
What Happens When a 2013 MacBook Air Gets a 2,560 × 1,600 Retina Upgrade?
So… you remember the old 2013 Air?
It had a modest display that felt about as sharp as a potato. Fast‑forward almost ten years, and we’re suddenly staring at a screen that’s practically 2,560 × 1,600 pixels wide and 1,600 pixels tall. The difference? Phenomenal.
Lines That Talk
Every line on the screen now cuts so cleanly it could probably narrate a book. No more fuzzy borders—everything feels razor‑sharp, making it easier to spot that tiny typo in your email.
Colors That Pop
The palette is now truly bursting. Brighter greens, deeper blues, and richer reds make even the blandest spreadsheets feel like a splatter of paint. If you prefer a more subdued vibe, you can simply toggle off the TrueTone feature, which otherwise tries to match your screen colors to the room’s natural lighting.
Zero‑Grace Bezel Zone
Remember the thick edges around the 2013 model? They’ve practically disappeared. The new bezels are so thin you’d need a microscope to notice them, letting you focus entirely on the content.
- 44% increase in pixel density
- Full‑color vibrancy that rivals premium TVs
- Discreet, almost invisible bezels
All in all, the leap from that older, dusty Air to the current Retina marvel is not just a technical upgrade—it feels like moving from a wooden window to a crystal ball.
Why a Kittenish Laptop Might Just Be Your New BFF
Speaker Talk
- These mini speakers pack a punch for a 14‑inch machine, but keep your studio dreams on hold.
- Not a Turntables superstar, but great enough for casual chitchat.
- For the music‑lover with a steady hand: plug in a Bluetooth speaker or fire up AirPlay.
Lightness that’s Leg-On‑Leg
Weighing just 1.29 kg, the Air feels like a feather that’s still got a heavy‑hit duty. It sent me bouncing between tables like I was doing a quick office sprint. Portability? Check!
Netflix at 90% Comfort
- In-bed binge‑sessions become the new habitat.
- Even when your world’s stuck on a circuit‑breaker, this gadget’s got your back.
Battery
Battery: The Real MVP of Your Laptop
Besides that slick keyboard, the real deal in any laptop is how long it keeps going—a.k.a. battery life.
Apple’s “All‑Day” Pitch
Apple’s selling point? The brand new MacBook Air supposedly lasts an entire day on a single charge.
Reality Check: 7‑8 Hours of Solid Use
- What that actually looks like: about 7 to 8 hours of normal, steady use.
- After that, you’ll need to plug it back in.
So, if you’re looking for a laptop that can keep up throughout a full day of work, you’ll have to plan that recharge break halfway through.
Never feel the low‑battery blues —
Just a quick walk to a power outlet whenever you need it, no matter where you sit while working from home.
Price
Finding the Best Deal in a Wild Economy
Stuck in a world that feels like a roller coaster, with the pandemic still playing its gloomy notes, the new Air stands out as a smart, no‑fuss choice. The base model comes in at just $1,449, a price that feels more like a bargain than a burden.
- Performance: It’s packed with the tech you need—no extra fluff.
- Flexibility: Perfect for travel, work, or simply staying chill.
- Support: You’re never alone; the team keeps you covered.
So why worry about a higher price tag? This Air hits the sweet spot for what you’re willing to spend, especially when times are already unstable.
Why the 2020 MacBook Air Is a Deal Worth Nestling Into
Not the cheapest option on the shelf, but the most bang‑for‑buck deal for a fresh Mac station.
What Makes It Stand Out?
- Upgraded horsepower – new processor means smoother multitasking and snappier performance.
- Keyboard revamp – fully backlit, well‑spaced keys that make typing feel natural and breezy.
- Longevity – a sturdy build that’ll keep up with you for years, even after the initial launch buzz fades.
Is It a Good Buy?
Sure, there are cheaper Windows laptops lighting up the market. But if you’re after a respectable MacOS machine that’s both solid and satisfies future‑proofing, the 2020 MacBook Air lands in the sweet spot between cost and quality.
Grab it while you can and enjoy a reliable, powerful, and secure workstation that wins for the long haul.
