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The MacBook Air proves you don’t need AI to create a world class laptop

Our review of the M4 MacBook Air has just dropped, and it’s fair to say it’s one of the best laptops money can buy. For the first time ever, we gave it full marks and a five-star score, with our reviewer dubbing it “as close to perfect” as any laptop they’d seen. There’s no question that it raises the bar for thin and light laptops.

You name it, the MacBook Air has it: impressive performance that belies its lightweight design, build quality that will stand the test of time, a quiet and fanless operation that ensures you can work in peace, a comfortable keyboard and expansive trackpad, and so much more.

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Yet there’s one thing that is conspicuous by its absence from Apple’s latest laptop: an outstanding artificial intelligence (AI) system.

Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 rear view showing lid and logo.
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Sure, the MacBook Air doesn’t lack AI entirely: there’s Apple Intelligence, after all. But this is widely viewed as a poor choice among AI platforms and a long way behind its rivals. It’s not exactly what anyone would describe as ‘first class.’

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I’d love Apple to make a cheap MacBook with iPhone power

To me, that makes the M4 MacBook Air feel like an interesting antidote to the current AI frenzy. Right now, every laptop maker is trying to promote AI as a reason to buy their devices, Apple included. Read Apple’s MacBook Air press release and you’ll see the company tout Apple Intelligence’s “incredible capabilities … that make Mac even more helpful and powerful.”

Yet you just have to spend a few minutes with Apple Intelligence to know that alternatives like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot are far more capable and powerful. Apple was caught flat-footed by the AI explosion, and it still hasn’t caught up. But does that matter? The MacBook Air suggests it does not.

Defying the AI bubble

Apple's Craig Federighi discussing Apple Intelligence at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.
Apple

As our review shows, the MacBook Air has obliterated the competition despite its AI system, not because of it. If anything, it proves that the best laptops in the world don’t need AI to create incredible experiences for their users.

In my opinion, that comes down to Apple absolutely nailing the basics. The M4 MacBook Air offers performance, longevity and build quality, all for a fair price. Its M4 chip is not only a step up over the previous M3, but it extends Apple’s lead across the entire industry. You won’t find a better trackpad or speakers on a laptop in this class, while the design exudes the kind of quality that’s almost unknown in a device this slim.

That is what makes a great laptop, not artificial intelligence.

I don’t think a revelation like this is going to slow down the proliferation of AI-enabled laptops any time soon. AI is an industry that is currently experiencing a massive boom (some might say a bubble) and there is money to be made. Company leaders clearly don’t feel like they can afford to miss out.

But as the MacBook Air aptly demonstrates, AI is clearly not necessary to make a superb laptop. If anything, that’s the lesson we should take from Apple’s M4 MacBook Air.

Do you need AI?

Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 top down view showing keyboard and touchpad.
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

If you’re a user looking to get a new laptop, the example of the M4 MacBook Air emphasizes that you should continue prioritizing those machines that get the core principles right. Instead of flashy AI, you’ll get the best experience from a laptop that solves the kinds of problems you actually face in your everyday computing life.

When considering a laptop, you’ll need to ask a few questions. Does it meet your needs? Is it affordable? Will it last well into the future? For most people, those questions will be far more important than whether it can run Apple Intelligence or ChatGPT. Nine times out of ten, AI will only be a minor part of this equation, if it figures at all.

In other words, it’s my opinion that the M4 MacBook Air proves that you shouldn’t get swept up by the AI hype. Buy the laptop that meets your needs instead.

And perhaps it’s also a reminder to Apple: continue focusing on what users love and don’t let your vision be clouded by AI. The company is on the right track as it is. It shouldn’t sacrifice its ability to make great laptops on the altar of AI.

There’s no way that Apple will suddenly stop working on AI. But if it can ensure it doesn’t divert its efforts away from the features its users care about the most — those features that have made the M4 MacBook Air so superb — everyone will be better off.

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