Macworld - USA (2021-03)

March 2021 • Macworld 25

The MacBook Air is one of the fastest laptops around.

7-core GPU and

a 256GB SSD,

while the £1,249

model has an

8-core GPU and a

512GB SSD.

How do I connect

stuff? The MacBook

Air has only a pair of

Thunderbolt/USB

4 connectors. If you

want to connect

USB-A devices, you

need either a USB-C

to USB adapter, like

Apple’s £19 one, or a

USB-C hub that has

USB-A ports.

The MacBook

Air has built-in

Wi-Fi for connecting to a network.

It also provides built-in Bluetooth

for wirelessly connecting a mouse

or other peripherals. If you want to

connect to an Ethernet network,

you’ll need an adapter.

How fast is it? The MacBook Air is

one of the fastest laptops around, full

stop. The M1 provides performance

that is leaps and bounds faster than

what was previously found in the

MacBook Air. It’s plenty fast enough

for general purpose use. But because

it doesn’t have a fan to keep the

computer cool, it may throttle down

its speed during long processing

sessions, such as video editing or

compiling code. But even then, it’s

still plenty fast.

Verdict: The MacBook Air is a great

affordable laptop for someone who

does general-purpose work and

moves around a lot, such as a student

or a self-employed person. You can’t

March 2021 • Macworld 25

TheMacBookAirisoneofthefastestlaptopsaround.

7-core GPU and
a 256GB SSD,
while the £1,249
model has an
8-core GPU and a
512GB SSD.

How do I connect
stuff? The MacBook
Air has only a pair of
Thunderbolt/USB
4 connectors. If you
want to connect
USB-A devices, you
need either a USB-C
to USB adapter, like
Apple’s £19 one, ora
USB-C hub that has
USB-A ports.
The MacBook
Air has built-in
Wi-Fi for connecting to a network.
It also provides built-in Bluetooth
for wirelessly connecting a mouse
or other peripherals. If you want to
connect to an Ethernet network,
you’ll need an adapter.

How fast is it? The MacBook Air is
one of the fastest laptops around, full
stop. The M1 provides performance
that is leaps and bounds faster than
what was previously found in the
MacBook Air. It’s plenty fast enough

for general purpose use. But because

it doesn’t have a fan to keep the

computer cool, it may throttle down

its speed during long processing

sessions, such as video editing or

compiling code. But even then, it’s

still plenty fast.

Verdict: The MacBook Air is a great

affordable laptop for someone who

does general-purpose work and

moves around a lot, such as a student

or a self-employed person. You can’t