The writing is on the wall for MacBook Air
The low-end MacBook Pro is the new Air -- but it's going to cost you.
Apple hasn't updated the MacBook Air since 2015 and it's not going to any time soon. Instead, the company today phased out the $900, 11-inch MacBook Air. Only the $1,000, 13-inch MacBook Air remains available on Apple's store, and the company has instead gone all-in on the new line of MacBook Pros.
During its "Hello Again" press event today, Apple revealed the 13-inch MacBook Pro -- and the other 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar. These two models join the existing MacBook Air in Apple's 13-inch lineup. In fact, Apple compared the lowest-end MacBook Pro (the one without the Touch Bar) directly to the 13-inch MacBook Air, noting that the new model is lighter, thinner, more powerful and has an upgraded Retina display.
Considering it's been nearly two years since Apple updated the Air, the comparison wasn't exactly surprising. The whole bit was a way for Apple to demonstrate that the Pro can function as an Air -- it's 13 percent smaller than the 2015 model, after all -- and to say that the company hasn't forgotten about its cheapest line of laptops.
However, that's exactly where things get tricky: price. The lowest-end MacBook Pro costs significantly more than the Air, which runs $1,000. The 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar starts at $1,500. This means there are no more sub-$1,000 laptops in Apple's lineup.
Ahead of today's event, competing reports argued that Apple would reveal either a 13-inch MacBook Air or a 13-inch MacBook. Apple's last update to the MacBook Air was in 2015 and even this year's new, 12-inch MacBook was just a slight upgrade from the 2015 model (unless you're really into rose gold).
The shiny new MacBook Pro comes in three flavors: 13-inch without a Touch Bar ($1,500), 13-inch with a Touch Bar ($1,800) and 15-inch with a Touch Bar ($2,400). The Touch Bar is an OLED strip above the keyboard that offers different tasks depending on which application the user has open.
Click here to catch all the latest news from Apple's "Hello again" event.
