It was also Apple's first computer with an optional solid-state drive. The MacBook Air was the first subcompact notebook offered by Apple after the 12' PowerBook G4 discontinued in 2006. It also featured an anti-glare LED backlit display, a full-size keyboard, and a large trackpad that responded to multi-touch gestures such as pinching, swiping, and rotating. It featured a custom Intel Merom CPU and Intel GMA GPU which were 40% as big as the standard chip package. The first MacBook Air was a 13.3-inch model, initially promoted as the world's thinnest notebook at 1.9 cm (0.75 in) (a previous record holder, 2005's Toshiba Portege R200, was 1.98 cm (0.78 in) high). Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Air during Apple’s keynote address at the 2008 Macworld conference on January 15, 2008. Steve Jobs showing the first MacBook Air at an Apple 2008 keynote address The new model was given a larger 13.6-inch screen and brought back MagSafe, now the third iteration of Apple's magnetic laptop charger ports. The latest MacBook Air was redesigned away from the tapered body in 2022 to match the latest MacBook Pro models, and upgraded to the M2 processor.

In 2020, Apple shifted the MacBook Air to their new Apple-designed M1 processor (see MacBook Air with Apple silicon).

The smaller 11-inch model was discontinued in 2019. In 2018 the Air was given a smaller footprint, gained a high-resolution Retina display, and combination USB-C/ Thunderbolt 3 ports for data and power. Solid-state storage was made standard, and later revisions added Intel Core i5 or i7 processors and Thunderbolt. In 2010 the MacBook Air was redesigned with a tapered chassis, and Apple released a smaller 11.6-inch version.

With its slim design, it attracted attention for not including an optical disc drive, and having fewer ports than was typical for laptops at the time. The MacBook Air was introduced in January 2008 as a premium ultraportable with a 13.3-inch screen and a full-size keyboard, and was promoted as the world's thinnest notebook, opening a laptop category known as the ultrabook family. The Macbook Air's lower prices relative to the larger, higher performance MacBook Pro have made it Apple's entry-level notebook since the discontinuation of the original MacBook line in 2011. It features a thin, light structure in a machined aluminum case and a 13-inch screen. The MacBook Air is a line of laptop computers developed and manufactured by Apple since 2008.

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