Why the MacBook Air Design Never Changes

Apple's MacBook Air hasn't been updated since its last redesign in 2010. The question is, why? Granted, Apple doesn't march to the beat of everyone else's drum. Still, four years is a long time to wait, especially since in that time, rival laptop manufacturers have moved through several design trends, from small, efficient netbooks, to über thin ultrabooks, and now to hybrid systems that flip, pivot, or detach from their keyboard. Touch capability has also becoming standard on laptop displays, with the advent of Windows 8.

So where does that leave Apple? Why would one of the most innovative technology companies in the world be glacial in redesigning one of its most iconic products? Why would it want the MacBook Air to look…dated?

The answer seems pretty simple. The design hasn't changed because, frankly, it hasn't needed to. The chassis has plenty of internal room for the system's motherboard, Flash storage, system memory, and enough battery cells to keep the MacBook Air running well past 10 hours. The 11-inch model ( at Amazon) is the perfect size for an airline tray table, adding to its appeal for frequent flyers. In fact, the 11-inch MacBook Air will fit virtually anywhere a 10-inch tablet, like the full-size Apple iPad, does, and the 13-inch model( at Amazon) is still one of the most compact laptops on the market. Both are powerful enough to run Office and multimedia apps, like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. Ultimately, consumers continue to buy the chassis design as is, and Apple will continue to make them as long as people want them.

Don't be surprised if Apple takes its time before releasing a radically different design for the MacBook Air. This would be par for the course for the company. Case in point: the Apple Mac Pro. The Mac Pro was updated last year, to great fanfare. But the previous iteration had its beginnings with the Apple Power Mac G5, which was a ground-breaking design in 2003. The older model had an anodized aluminum chassis, an etched Apple logo on the side panels, perforated front and back for airflow, and you couldn't miss the iconic handles on top and bottom of the tower.

After three years, Apple totally revamped the interior components, changed some of the ports, left the exterior essentially the same, and came out with the Intel-equipped Mac Pro tower in 2006. Six more years of gradual internal component improvements followed, but the design remained unchanged, because it didn't need to change (sound familiar?).

Finally, in 2013, the current Mac Pro was introduced, and the revamped design was a complete antithesis to the model it replaced. Its cylindrical chassis bears no resemblance at all to the tower desktop it used to be.

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To be honest, however, I don't think the MacBook Air's design is dated at all. The latest MacBook Air laptops in 2014 will get just about the same amount of envy or scorn that they did in 2010. Touch screens are no benefit, since OS X isn't designed for touch input at all at this time. The 1,366-by-768-resolution screen on the 11-inch model is fine; it's still the most common screen resolution on most Windows 8.1 laptops. If a 1080p or higher-resolution screen on the 11-inch model bumps the price to $1,200 instead of $899, the upgrade may not be worth it for some.

Would it be nice to have a redesigned MacBook Air of either size with a Retina display? Yes, yes it would. Is it necessary at this time? No, no it's not. I look forward to what the future will bring, but if the MacBook Air keeps its excellent battery runtimes without any detriment to its overall performance (as I suspect it will), then I don't bemoan the same, old, excellent design.

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