The 2020 model of the "MacBook Air" that I accidentally popped. Announced on March 18th, it went on sale immediately in the online store, but to be honest, I wasn't really worried about it. Rather, I just wanted the iPad Pro. I have an iPad Pro 10.5-inch model, and it's been over two years since I bought it, so I was thinking about buying a new one. Why did it suddenly end up popping the "MacBook Air"?
Related article: New iPad Pro & New MacBook Air in 5 minutes.Apple new product summary
Actually, I have an iOS device called iPhone and iPad Pro, but I didn't have a MacBook series, that is, a macOS device. Of course, I've been using Kanji Talk6 since the Macintosh era, but I've never owned it before. Recently, when I've done various reviews, I often can't try it because I don't have a macOS environment. I was a little confused about this, and decided that it would be better to upgrade the equipment rather than replacing the iPad Pro.
▲ MacBook Air vanity case. The MacBook Air purchased by Apple has the following specifications.
Despite the specs, the price is 136,180 yen including tax. It feels surprisingly cheap. Well, it is a pity that Wi-Fi is one generation ago and weighs about 1.3 kg, but the aluminum body has a high design and rigidity, so that point is offset. increase. Also, I didn't have a laptop that supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 / Thunderbolt 3, so I can say that the specifications are quite satisfactory.
▲ The included AC adapter is, of course, a 30W type with a USB Type-C terminal.
▲ The included USB Type-C cable is 2m long enough. If you look at Apple's online store, it will be delivered on April 7th at the earliest! (As of the middle of the night of March 29, when I decided to purchase it) I looked at Yodobashi.com, saying that there was no more than a week ahead, and it seems that the models for stores are usually in stock. The price is 148,280 yen including tax, which is more than 10,000 yen higher, but if you are a premium member of Yodobashi Point Plus, you will get 5 + 1% point return + 9% point return for a limited time until April 30, and you will get 22,242 points. So, I got a quick hit. It was dawn on the 30th, but it arrived at 14:00 on the 30th. In this age, I am struck by the prompt response.
▲ The body is 100% recycled. The aluminum color is space gray. I was at a loss with gold, but I also have "VAIO S11 RED EDITION" and it seems that I like flashy things, so I restrained myself this time. Now, let's briefly review the MacBook Air. Since this is the debut of the MacBook series, it will be a review from the perspective of Windows users, not a comparison with the old model. Please note that what is "natural" for Mac users is super fresh for me. The first thing that surprised me was that the power turned on automatically when the top plate was opened. It works the same not only when waking up from sleep but also when it is shut down, so I thought the usability around here was truly amazing. If you shut down and the top plate remains open, press the button that doubles as Touch ID in the upper right corner of the keyboard to start it. When you start up from shutdown, you need to enter the login password, but when you wake up from sleep, you can log in by just touching Touch ID. With Windows, you can log in with your fingerprint even from the shutdown state, but this is iOS-like. It is usually more convenient to put it to sleep.
Also, I noticed that the top plate can be opened with one hand. The appropriate hardness of the hinge part, the suction force of the top plate to the body by the magnet, the weight balance of the bottom part, all are designed with exquisite scooping. Isn't this kind of place like Apple? The first thing I was confused about was that I couldn't tap the trackpad to select it. In Windows, you can tap the left click to use it, so if you use it like that, it will not respond. At the time of initial setting, the habit was not removed, and taps and clicks were repeated in vain. After the initial setting, you can use it by checking "Tap to click" from the trackpad of the setting, but unlike Windows machines, the entire trackpad can be clicked, so you can just push it in. I left the default settings to prevent erroneous operations. Right-clicking in Windows is a two-finger click, so in any case, you have to switch your mind when it comes to operations.
▲ The trackpad is slippery, your fingers move smoothly, and the response is good. The trackpad has a pressure-sensitive touch specification, but the response returns properly, so you can use it without any discomfort. In rare cases, you may not be able to press a physical button properly, but there is no such concern. The screen is a Retina display and the surface is glass, so it feels more detailed than Windows. It also has a coating that suppresses reflected light, so it is not difficult to see. By default, it is displayed at a resolution of 1440 x 900 dots, but it is used with 1680 x 1050 dots in the settings.
▲ This is the MacBook Air debut, so I saw how to use it properly.I have touched Mac mini etc. before, so I understand the operation of macOS itself to some extent, but it is the first time to install apps and see the contents of storage. It may be a little confusing when using it. However, the operation feeling is not so far from Windows, so you can understand it immediately by clicking. For the time being, I installed Chrome and OneDrive. Chrome is from the Web, OneDrive is from the store, and the usage around here is similar to Windows.
▲ The keyboard is the "Magic Keyboard", which has been highly acclaimed in the reviews, because it does not have a strange arrangement or a part of the width becomes narrow, and it seems easy to type even by a kana input writer, but the stroke is firmly secured (about). 1mm), the sound is quieter, so it's easy to type for the author who prefers a key touch with a deep stroke. I compared it with my VAIO S11, but I felt that the VAIO was easier to hit because it had a stroke of about 1.2mm and was quieter. However, unlike the recent VAIO SX series, the VAIO S11 is not full pitch (S11 is about 17mm), so in that respect it is not comparable to the MacBook Air (about 19mm). From the perspective of VAIO users, I think the Magic Keyboard is at a high level of ease of use.
▲ Try it side by side with the VAIO S11. The key top of the MacBook Air feels very big. VAIO's tilt-up hinge is easy to type, but I can't open the top plate with one hand. It's been a short time since the product arrived, and I haven't used it yet, but before I knew it, macOS was used more frequently as a mobile than Windows. It may have been supposed to be.
