MacBook Air Unibody (Original)

2008, January 15

The original aluminum unibody MacBook Air, introduced by Steve Jobs on January 15, 2008, was promoted as the "world's thinnest notebook" and emphasized portability over performance. It featured an ultra-thin wedge-shaped design, a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display, and a full-size backlit keyboard.

Key Features and Ports

Design: The enclosure was machined from a single block of aluminum, creating a durable unibody design. It measured an unprecedented 0.16 inches at its thinnest point and 0.76 inches at its thickest.

Connectivity Compromises: To achieve its thinness, the MacBook Air made significant compromises in connectivity. It only included one USB 2.0 port, a micro-DVI port (adapters for DVI and VGA were included), and a headphone jack.

Missing Ports: It notably lacked a FireWire port, an Ethernet port (an external USB adapter was sold separately), and a built-in optical drive.

Remote Disc: Apple introduced "Remote Disc" software, allowing users to wirelessly access the optical drive of another computer to install software.

Other Features: It included built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a built-in iSight camera, and a large multi-touch trackpad that supported gestures like pinching, swiping, and rotating.

Power: It used a 45 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter. The battery was not designed to be user-replaceable.