The Intel-based MacBook Air is quickly disappearing. Apple introduced the the first version of this svelte laptop with an M1 processor on Tuesday, and pulled the previous version off the Apple online store.
It isn’t unusual for a new Mac to replace on older one. But the MacBook Air just made a quantum leap to a new type of processor, and some people are likely still interested in one with an Intel processor. The supply is dwindling, though.
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Tips on finding an Intel-based MacBook Air
It’s not possible to buy a new MacBook Air with an Intel chip from the Apple online store. There are limited supplies of refurbished units, however.
And other retailers still have the early-2020 macOS laptop in stock. For example, B&H has it in a variety of configurations, some of which are on sale. It’s also available from Amazon. Again, there a multiple configurations to choose from, some on sale. The same goes for Best Buy.
Move to Apple M1 processor is huge
It would be hard to call the latest Intel-based version of the MacBook Air obsolete. It was just released in March 2020.
And at first glance, the newly-announced version with the Apple M1 loooks hardly different. But the new processor brings significant advantages. And also drawbacks.
Apple is promising a hefty speed increase in the new version. And it doesn’t require a fan, helping to contribute to its 15 hours battery life while browsing wirelessly.
But third-party developers have to recompile their applications for the new processor architecture, something users of the Intel version of the MacBook Air don’t have to worry about. Still, Apple created Rosetta 2, which allows users to run software compiled for Intel Macs on computers running Apple Silicon. There many be a performance cost though.
Anyone not ready to jump to the M1 chip, but wants a new Air with an Intel processor instead, needs to move quickly to secure one.
