MacBook Air (Original, 2008)
The laptop that came out of an envelope.
Overview
Steve Jobs pulled the first MacBook Air out of a manila envelope on stage at Macworld 2008. The aluminum body tapered from 0.76 inch at the back to 0.16 inch at the front, and it weighed three pounds, around half a pound less than the lightest competing laptops.
It used a 1.6 or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo with a specially packaged smaller chip, 2 GB of soldered memory, and a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display. It had only one USB port, a headphone jack and a micro-DVI video port, with no optical drive; a remote disc feature let it borrow another computer drive.
A solid-state drive option was very expensive, and the machine was criticized for thermal limits, but it started the ultraportable trend that Apple still follows.
Why it mattered
Started the MacBook Air line and defined the thin-and-light laptop class.
At a glance
- Announced
- January 15, 2008
- Released
- January 31, 2008
- Discontinued
- October 14, 2008
- Launch price
- $1,799
- Chip / processor
- Intel Core 2 Duo, 1.6 or 1.8 GHz
- Display
- 13.3"
- Storage
- 80 GB hard drive or 64 GB SSD
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- 0.16-inch at the thinnest point
- Multi-touch trackpad
- No optical drive, Remote Disc
- Optional 64 GB SSD
- One USB 2.0 port
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 13.3-inch
- Type
- LED-backlit glossy widescreen
- Resolution
- 1280 x 800
Chip
- Chip
- Intel Core 2 Duo, 1.6 or 1.8 GHz
Memory
- RAM
- 2 GB
- Storage options
- 80 GB hard drive or 64 GB SSD
Battery
- Battery life
- Up to 5 hours
Ports
- Ports
- USB 2.0, micro-DVI, headphone jack
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11n
Camera
- Camera
- Built-in iSight
Design
- Dimensions
- 0.4 to 1.94 cm thick
- Weight
- 1.36 kg (3.0 lb)
Software
- Launch OS
- Mac OS X 10.5.2
How it compares
More in the MacBook Air family
MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010)
A wedge-shaped 11-inch laptop with instant-on flash storage.
MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)
The 13-inch Air gained a higher-resolution display and an SD slot.
MacBook Air (11-inch and 13-inch, Mid 2011)
Sandy Bridge power, a backlit keyboard and Thunderbolt for the Air.
MacBook Air (Mid 2013)
Haswell brought all-day battery life to the Air.
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
A Retina screen and Touch ID finally reached the Air.
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
The last Intel MacBook Air brought the Magic Keyboard to the entry level.
MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
The first Apple silicon MacBook Air, fast and fanless.
MacBook Air (13-inch, M2, 2022)
A flat redesign with a bigger display, MagSafe and a 1080p camera.
MacBook Air (15-inch, M2, 2023)
The first 15-inch Air: a big screen with a thin body.
MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024)
M3 speeds and dual-display support for the 13-inch Air.
MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024)
The big Air gets M3 and a faster wireless chip.
MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025)
16 GB of memory as standard and a new Sky Blue color.
MacBook Air (15-inch, M4, 2025)
The bigger Air got M4, 16 GB and a better camera.
MacBook Air (13-inch, M5, 2026)
M5 and 512 GB of storage arrive on the 13-inch Air.
MacBook Air (15-inch, M5, 2026)
The large Air gets the M5 chip, 512 GB and Wi-Fi 7.