Reviews for the new 2018 MacBook Air and Mac mini went live this morning ahead of tomorrow's launch, and in a press release, Apple this afternoon highlighted reviews from several media sites that were able to spend some time with the new machines.
Apple shared review passages from sites that include CNBC, WIRED, Daring Fireball, PC Mag, Six Colors, Tom's Guide, and more.
Daring Fireball, for example, called the MacBook Air the MacBook that "most people should buy," and the Daily Express said "fans of this laptop" will love the new update because "it takes the concept of power and ultimate portability to a whole new level."
Gear Patrol said the MacBook Air is the "perfect computer" for anyone looking to do "normal things" like web browsing, answering emails, and watching movies, while Refinery29 highlighted the MacBook Air's 12-hour battery life.
As for the Mac mini, Six Colors said that the new update allows it to fill a wide range of needs, from basic server needs to "high-end applications that require a great deal of processor power."
Tom's Guide said that the Mac mini is the best option for those who want a compact Mac desktop for streaming media or getting into Apple computing, and ZDNet said the new version is "designed for all types of users" and is "no longer serving a niche market."
As with prior reviews roundups for devices like the iPad Pro, Apple has only highlighted the positive elements from each review. For anyone considering a purchase of one of these machines, it's worth taking a deeper dive into the reviews to get a full picture of both the positives and the negatives.
Apple's full list of Mac mini and MacBook Air review selections can be seen in the article shared through the Apple Newsroom, while additional reviews can be found in our Mac mini and MacBook Air review roundups.
The new 2018 MacBook Air and Mac mini models officially launch tomorrow and base configurations will be available in Apple retail stores and from third-party retailers.
The first pre-orders for the machines are also set to be delivered on November 7 and have already started arriving in Australia and New Zealand.
Top Rated Comments
The new MacBook Air is inferior to the old one in a lot of ways. People are dumb, but not that dumb. Nobody wants to deal with the bull and inconvenience of having limited ports, a crappy keyboard, and lack of MagSafe charging.
Such a shame Apple. You've done injustice to the MacBook Air name.
There we go.
At any rate, I never consider reviews from sources that have contractual agreements with Apple for early access. I’ll always wait for user reviews from independent purchasers.
I was testing out the 12" MacBooks (which I really have a thing for) but my goodness are the keyboards terrible. While using it I wanted to go on a website called Kijiji (it's like Craigslist but everyone in Canada uses it instead) and the bloody 'J' key didn't work. I had to press it at least 20 times for it to finally register and even then it's input was flaky. Knowing that the butterfly keyboard is also now on the new MacBook Air is a major letdown, as it's a major downgrade in terms of quality and functionality compared to the beloved scissor keys.