Apple MacBook Air 13-inch
153 reviews
Shame on Apple Australia and the Canberra store for selling a faulty product it failed to replace – I am writing this review because it was only six years old when I was forced to replace it. I bought bought the Macbook Air with the butterfly keyboard which I discovered was problematic too late and it has been nothing but trouble. Apple Canberra promised me it would continue to update the keyboard but it did not keep the space bar in stock and… Read more
the problem became increasingly worse, as time passed beyond warranty. In the end, several keys failed to work. I type at 120 wpm and thus I trust you can imagine the frustration. I had a heated disagreement with the store Manager after he backflipped on his promise to replace the failing keys. I was quoted $900 to replace the keyboard which made no sense and as in the end, I had no choice but to replace it. The backlight failed after the first key replacements (not the whole keyboard) then when it began to overheat and make a loud noise, I knew I was in trouble. I approached the Canberra store where I had purchased it and like all corporations, it was impossible to gain the support I deserved. I read there had been a class action in the US about the faulty butterfly keyboard however, Apple failed to contact me and I am not sure it was extended to Australian customers. Of course, every time I mentioned it, the staff refused to admit the extent of the problem. It is not good enough to expect consumers to put up with a faulty product caused at manufacture, especially when the extent of the issue which took time to materialise (and it was noticeable to the store,\ which failed to offer to replace it). I was forced to replace it when at six years old. Apple also failed to give me a sensible trade in which was quoted as 'up to a maximum of $200', hardly worth it for the problems I had been through and the parts Apple would retrieve. It had done its risk assessment and knew I would not be able to sell it. Shame on Apple Australia, especially the Canberra Store. Not that this review will make a difference to a service I received from a huge corporation based in the US with customers who rely upon its integrity. In this circumstance, Apple showed zero integrity and should be made accountable for selling a faulty product expecially when the extent of the fault appeared after the pathetic warranty has passed..
Worst Laptop i ever had – It's quite aggravating. When I got it in Los Angeles, I thought it was original and nice because it was made in the United States, but the outcome was terrible. After a year of use, it became extremely slow, and the screen developed strips in the right hand, making it impossible to see 40 percent of the screen. When I contacted the Apple Store,… Read more
they estimated that replacing the screen would cost $800. Instead of spending such a large sum to Apple, I purchased a Lenovo with all features for $800 with a three-year warranty. This is the first Apple product that has irritated me. In my life, I will never buy a Macbook. As a result, I stuffed it into the cupboard.
MacBook Air review – This is the worst laptop of all time. The screen is so fragile I have had to pay over $2000 to the fix the screen as I broke it with my thumb adjusting its angle. Do yourself a favour and don’t buy this laptop Show details
Positive reviews
Still going strong – love my MacBook Air. I have never had any problems with my Mac products, the last Mac I had had heaps of viruses (my fault) but this MacBook I have now has lasted many years with hopefully many more to go. it had by face exceeded my expectations. Show details
Great web browser and word processor – Light, strong and sturdy-feeling, excellent trackpad and battery life, convenient size for casual browsing, decent keyboard, enough ports. Generally reliable and does not crash often, even after several years of use. Not the fastest machine for games, and only supports one monitor. Not sure if it supports the highest of high-definition desktop screens either. In summary, it does what it says on the box, and everything works pretty well. Show details
The Mac that keeps you on top of everything – I'm an android user when it comes to my phone [wont go back to apple] but when it comes the computer I'm comfortable in using the Apple MacBook Air 13 inch 2018. The MacBook Air is one of those laptops that is modern, sleek and cool all in the one. Love the fact that there literally no waiting time when logging into the system, high level of… Read more
security which makes you feel protected, sound quality is up to perfection, visuals are second to none & connectivity to other systems i.e. sound system connects instantly.
The MacBook Air is pricey but what laptop/computer isn't.
Overall I think the MacBook Air is for all users whether its for business or personal use.
I don't think i'll ever go back to an Android laptop/PC anytime soon :)
Negative reviews
this is crap never buy it – The MacBook Air is the worst computer in the world don't waste your time and money on this piece of crap laptop the fan is constantly running even right know as I'm writing this and even when the only thing I have open is a single chrome tab, it cannot run more than 2 programs at the same time and cannot run what it is supposed to, as I'm typing… Read more
this my keys are struggling to type, every single day I find something new that's wrong with my mac. If u have a mac I feel so sorry for you right now
Did not last a year – I . write this with a heavy heart, as I'm a huge Mac fan. Early 2019, I purchased the Macbook Air 2018 model. Within a month, I could hear the fan going into turbo mode - didn't matter whether I was just running safari or Adobe products... Then in the past two months, the keyboard has become faulty - throwing in random fullstops, and sometimes… Read more
failing altogether. Dealing with Apple Support was tedious - multiple attempts of contacting them, getting bounced between operators. Thankfully, as this was purchased through the QANTAS store, they have been awesome, and are refunding us completely. It absolutely makes me hesitant to purchase another one... if I do, I'll definitely be buying Apple Care!
Absolute Trash (Not just for me) – My school gives every student from year 8 to year 12 one of these. Not many people actually like these things, they aren't suited for school. Reasons why? Well... Firstly, the processing power on this computer is hard enough to process a 1080p youtube video (the screen on the thing isn't even 1080p), nor can it handle more than about 3 chrome tabs… Read more
open at once, before it starts losing it's 'brilliant performance' everyone talks about. Secondly The highly appraised '12 hour battery life' after about a week of light use (word and chrome for school work), that battery life has dropped to under 7 hours, as I barely get through the school day without having about 12% left on my battery indicator. When doing more intense work, even small types, (light photoshop etc.) the battery barley lasts more than about half an hour. Thirdly, Memory. The MacBooks our school gives us all have 8GB of internal physical RAM, although the whole time the computer uses less than 4GB of that and then it will store the RAM bassed information on your SSD, filling up anywhere from 1GB to 24GB of SSD internal storage in less than a minute. This happens even when there are no applications open on the computer at all. Fourthly, The 121.1GB SSD is filled up with 50GB of system files from when you open the box on the first day of use, leaving you with about 71GB to place Applications, Files and other items. If you add programs from adobe, they take up about 20 or 30GB so be ready for very little space on your mac and for the really annoying 'low disk space' alert to constantly and frequently appear in the top corner of your mac. The Mac constantly overheats and being a fully metal design can get so warm that it burns your legs, leaving you in pain while the loud little fan tries to keep your mac cool. The design and operating system make this computer not worth the $1200 AUD that you can buy this for. Buy windows laptop. It will be higher performing for less money.
Recent reviews
Apple pro laptop rubbish product – Apple pro laptop 2015 motherboard ( login board) need replacement.And it is very expensive.You pay a lot of money for this product (over $2000 to $6000) and quality is simply not there. after 4 years you facing expensive login board replacement or To buy a new laptop.Dont buy Apple product the are expensive rubbish quality, you just pay a lot of money for a name but not for good quality products! Show details
Love it – I love my macbook mainly because it links to my other apple devices so it’s super convenient , I’m not very tech savvy though so I find navigating it for applications I don’t use on a regular can be a bit confusing - especially growing up using windows programs , however I feel that the more I use it the easier it becomes . Even though it’s thin it’s durable and battery life is great Show details
Awesome laptop – I love Apple products & this device lives up to all me expectations. I initially went to Officeworks to buy the Macbook Air but they dont have any in stock (order in only) as I live out of town I went to JB HiFi, the fabulous staff price matched for me. I love the ease of the navigation & producing documents. Its a really good size, not heavy or bulky. Show details
An upgrade that changed my life! – This lightweight and durable laptop is a game changer for myself and my homeschooled children. Easy to use and reliable. We couldn’t be happier. I myself can’t fault this laptop. From surfing the web, watching videos to keeping our family photos in order and not to mention our music! And much, much much, more. It’s all at your finger tips with this amazing product! Show details
Find out how Apple MacBook Air 13-inch compares to other Laptops
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Superb – This Apple Mac air is a few a great size to take anywhere. Fits in my handbag no problem. Easy and light weight.This was my first Mac so took a bit of getting use to. But wouldn't be without it now.love how the keys are lit up so easy to see when the light is dim Show details
Affordable electronic – Laptop was a good price on eBay and very happy I purchased it, although it is an older model it still does what I need it to with no issues. Love the slick look to the laptop. Show details
Solid mate – This laptop has lasted me three full years of highschool due to its metal frame. I have dropped it multiple times and the worst damage it has received is a small dent in bottom corner next to the charging port. Bit pricy for the performance but worth it if you want a laptop that will last you a while. Show details
Love it – This is a bit of a god tier laptop, it is light but a bit of a brick sometimes because when watching video it is light but I have iMessage so all good. Fans are quiet and that's good Show details
An essential tool suitable for everyday use! – I received this product as a gift from a relative, and it has met all my needs. So far every electronic device that I own is Apple. Haven't had a problem with them. The features provided quality educational and entertaining tools. This product has a maximum of 12 hours running time on a full charge. I wasn't sure about the price but it must be definitely worth it! This product certainly passed my standards by far! Show details
Still going strong! – I bought a MacBook Air back in early 2012 (Mid 2011 model), and just love it. It has worked tirelessly for the last 7 years. I opted for the upgraded I7 processor and 256 SSD. Have recently replaced the battery as it was bound to eventually die. That was easy and now it feels like a new computer again. Yes its an older computer and isn spec'd to… Read more
the latest technology, but as a regular computer used for home and occasionally work it does everything I need it to.
Love it – It is so easy to carry around as I am a mum of 4 kids I don’t need to be carring a thick and heavy laptop around when I have to juggle my kids at the same time.. very good apps and amazing quality have not had a problem with it!! Show details
Pretty sweet – Very good laptop, runs well and doesn't crash, easy to download stuff. The trackpad and scroll are really easy to use and the screen size is plenty if you're not doing anything like hardcore gaming, i personally use this computer for school mostly and it is very useful. Photoshop, office 365 and most other general programs run fine. Only problems… Read more
with spotify.
The only downside to this computer is the closed Operating System, i originally had to reset my mac because an apple product i downloaded didn't work and then when i deleted it, it kept the icon and notifications for it in the top right corner and i couldn't stand it. The settings are highly customisable and it can be put in stealth mode.
Battery life for a new one of these is amazing lasting for around 9 hours of use or more. The internet works well on it and the current 3 month apple music trial with no need for payment (if you kill the subscription in setting before the pay date) is a big plus and i have downloaded 1200 + songs onto it and they all sound great.
Overall a pretty great laptop besides the closed OS and i recommend it for work or school, even youtube and some gaming, although it won't be able to run anything like GTA V.
Great computer, but the keyboard – The MacBook air is great and is a huge upgrade on the previous model. It is fast, compact and crystal clear graphics. The only issue is the keys on the keyboard are continuously getting stuck down and you are forced to remove the key to fix this. Other then this, the computer is great! Show details
Find out how Apple MacBook Air 13-inch compares to other Laptops
Know better, choose better.
Love it! – Love my MacBook Air, it is sleek, light, fast and does the job. I mostly surf the web, stream music and videos so is perfect for my purpose. Battery lasts a very long time and I love being able to use the Bluetooth on my laptop to connect to my Bose speaker. The only downside so far is that there is no standard USB port, you need to buy an adaptor… Read more
which I didn't realise before I purchased it. It is a bit of an inconvenience but not a deal breaker. My last Macbook Air lasted over 7 years with barely an issue so I'm hoping this one does the same!
Excellent Lightweight Laptop – Unless you need very high processor speed or a very large screen these laptops are an excellent choice. I've had one or two of these before and I've liked them all. They are slightly prone to screen failures if badly knocked or you just have some random bad luck. But there's nothing better for web-surfing, travel and communication. For some… Read more
people an iPad might be a more portable choice but if you're tossing up between the two, bear in mind that the Macbook Air has a built-in keyboard (so you don't need to buy one) and it sits upright at a suitable angle for viewing without the need for a stand or cover. It's also got the CF card reader and USB port built in. It charges very fast and the battery keeps it going for hours.
Awful Camera resolution: Apple – I myself have bought this device when it was released and can confirm that the camera is by far the worst resolution in the history of cameras on laptops. I have exchanged it for another device however the quality remains the same. This goes for any Macbook Air 2018 device I have tested in store (on display). Show details
Apple MacBook Air 13 Inch – I Bought them. in Jan 18, and by May 18 I have to bring back to Apple store Sydney , they replace the Logic board as still in warranty . Now Nov 18 the battery is dead and the apple store has to replace again . We are using them pretty much average 2-3 hour / day for doing the assignment . I'm not sure if really worth buying apple again . But… Read more
I think I will definitely moving to another brand , Spending more than $1500 but get a B grade products . I hope that Apple people with read this one .
Probably the most durable laptop I have ever had – I had this simply because my sister switch it with me as she want a better one. After having this for over 4 years, as a clumsy person, I often would bumped it into other things and every time I thought it is done after hitting something hard, but when I turn it on, it works just fine. But there was one time that really changed my percetion about… Read more
this MacBook Air. I dropped it from the bench while watching YouTube and cooking, I really think that was it. But it still works!!!!! Easily the most robust lap top I have had. Absolutely love it
Amazing! – So compact and easy to use. I got this for my uni course and the long battery life and amazing graphics Is just what I need. They are a bit pricey but the long life I’ll get out of this laptop makes it a worthy investment and gives me all the things I need! Show details
Very bad experience – Dear Sir/Madam APPLE is considered to be one of the most trusted electronics brand with best quality worldwide. However, I would like share with you an ugly experience of using MacBook Air. This is regarding the MacBOOK Air 13 inch: 1.8 GHz Dual-Core Intel CoreI5, 128GB, purchased on 5th August 2018 at Chandigarh, India. My device was… Read more
functioning well till 19th of November 2018. I used my MacBook Air last on 19th November 2018, after use I fully charged the device and left with flap down. On very next day (20th November 2018) to my surprise when I opened up my device neither its power is getting switched ON nor the keyboard light, without any accidental/physical or liquid damage to device. Finally on 21st Nov. 2018 I have submitted my MacBook Air to nearest service centre (f1 info solutions & services private limited) and on next day from service center I came to know that the Motherboard of my MacBook Air is not functioning, need to be replaced.
This is real surprise that if the worldwide best product (MacBook) is behaving like this within less than 5 months of purchase with moderate daily use. Looking at this why one should go for APPLE Products instead of others really good brands in market, I think they are providing better services than MacBook.
This was the first time have trusted Apple for MacBook, probably I will not have trust in future again. If Apple’s new product is not serving even 6 months without fault then why one should trust Apple. Definitely I will not suggest people around further for APPLE products. Really I was not expecting such a poor performing device. Even my last laptop (of brand Lenovo), I used for five years without any product related problems at all.
Anyways thank you for such a bitter experience with MacBook.
Won't recommend.
Love it! – The macbook has been nothing but awesome since I bought it. It's lightweight, fast and very easy to use. No issues so far and am looking forward to using it more. The battery drains very slowly and is quickly charged, while the keyboard is very light and easy to type on. Show details
The best laptop I have ever had – This is my 4th Macbook and 2nd Macbook Air. I had Macbook Pros before I had the Airs. Cannot fault any of the Macbooks I have used so far. Slick, beautiful powerful machine. I pretty much never shut down unless I have to to install an update. They NEVER break down. I use MS Office on my Air and works beautifully. I also had Windows installed that… Read more
worked better than a surface! The biggest advantage is, I don't need to buy and antivirus or need to "clean" my computer or get blue screen of death or frozen screens! Macbooks are unbreakable!
Good but bad? – I bought one inMay 2016 because it's much much much lighter than my old 2012 MacBook Pro and I was going backpacking in Europe for 3 months so I wanted something Light but still have a 13inch screen and for that it's amazing BUT in June this year I had to use my extended warranty to replace it as it kept shutting down after I left my laptop on… Read more
screensaver mode and I couldn't figure out why. I have the 2017 model now and it's been great but I bought the extended warranty again just in case. I don't like how small the hard drive in but it is a light laptop so I shouldn't complain. You don't get a CD drive but it doesn't bother me since I wash everything on Netflix anyway. Overall it's a good laptop and I do recommend it but buy AppleCare and get extended warranty.
Confusing, unimpressive, bad battery, too hyped – I have no clue why everyone is obsessed with having a Mac. For the price I paid for this I could have gotten a great quality Dell, but instead I chose this because there's some kind of culture surrounding them and being obsessed with them. The storage space fills up fast, after a couple years the battery started dying wayyy too fast, sometimes… Read more
when I try to shut it all the way down, as soon as I open the lid, it's already turned on. No good battery-saving mode, the charger you have to get falls out if you brush up against it so it's difficult to use sitting on your lap, no HDMI plug or CD drive which is a huge inconvenience.
The layout of the thing is trying to be cool and unique and intuitive but it's the opposite of intuitive. I've been using this thing for years, I am 20 years old, grew up on computers, and consider myself wise enough to troubleshoot technology on my own most of the time. But this thing defying understanding.
There is no one place to find all your settings, you have to search around for different aesthetic preferences and if you want to find storage and "about this mac" you have to go to the weird useless bar that's always at the top of the page. For 6 months I couldn't find out how to have a pictures file and had to look up an extensive tutorial on how to put your photos that it automatically uploads into the dumb Photos app into an actual folder where I can see the pictures in the finder like normal.
And speaking of the finder, it's foolish. Never ever when I search for a keyword or title does it actually bring up all the things with the phrase or word in it. It's seemingly random what it decides to show when I search, whether it's in one folder or the whole mac. Not to mention the """recents"""" folder, which I will download something, edit it, refresh the recents, and not only will my recent download or edit not be there, it will not exist in the downloads folder, nor anywhere else that can be seen through the search.
The last time I updated my mac, also, it deleted everything on my desktop and in my downloads folder without asking me. Everything.
It's almost impossible and sometimes is impossible to change the settings, it's very uncustomizable. For example, there is no way to turn off the setting that makes a two finger swipe within an internet page go "back." Why would the same gesture be used to scroll and to go back? It's random which one it does and it always makes me go back at the most inconvenient times, like when I've just filled out a long form. I used to be able to two-finger swipe away the notifications on the upper right corner and now it no longer works, I just have to wait for them to disappear. There's no way to turn off the permanent notifications to update your software and you always have to pick "remind me later," there's NO "don't remind me" option. They will bug the crap out of you until you update, even if there's no space to update it. Literally as I was typing this the second notification about it of the day popped up. It's not like my mac is outdated, I literally updated it a month ago. It's not an issue for me, why is my computer acting like it's gonna die???
One of my usb ports doesn't work with my wireless mouse and the other does.
For about 8 months the Messages app stopped syncing with my phone and there is no way to press a button that says Sync. If your mac isn't automatically syncing with your iphone, there is no way to remind your mac, "hey, can you make sure you're synced?" I spent hours with customer service that couldn't figure it out and then I gave up, just to have it turn on again 8 months later out of the blue after nothing significant had happened.
Yesterday my mac notified me about an email I got, I went to my mac email inbox, and the email wasn't there. I asked it to get new mail, but it wouldn't fetch the email that it had notified me about until five minutes later of it's own accord and free will, when it felt like it.
It's clearly behind Windows in terms of the way it handles its, well, windows. When two windows are next to each other in full split screen, I can't switch them around. You can't put a smaller screen window in front of a fullscreen one. There is no button that automatically takes you to the desktop, and even when you go to a desktop, there will be like 5 small windows that you have to individually minimize in order to see your actual desktop icons. You can't go straight to minimize, you have to make the window small and THEN minimize it. Once you hit X on a window, you never know if it will close or just be minimized. Even when you close all the windows of an app it still runs in the background.
You can't play games on this thing at all or it will overheat. Even the most basic games people don't make for mac. When they do make them for mac you have to run them in small screen so your mac doesn't burst into flames. Because there's no damn vent on the thing. Why did they make a case with no vent?
Alright, end rant. To sum up: the mac is problem-ridden, planned to be obsolete, annoying, not user-friendly, not customizable, not intuitive, and wholly worse than windows. And the customer service is poor.
Good laptop – Does everything efficiently and have had no issues with it. I needed a basic laptop and this does everythng I need and more. I love the lit up key board. It's also soft on the fingers. I also love how light it is. Easy to carry around. Charges up very quickly too. Show details
Fast Mac unfortunately battery dies pretty quickly – Small, compact, fast when its new but soon slows down if battery is not replaced, unfortunately apple does not stock this computer anymore so I have to buy a new one once I got so used to tis one, not a fan of the Mac Book Air, sorry, this one was a bit more sturdy. It is discontinued now so I can't even get a new cord for it anymore, a shame. Show details
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