Lots of attention right now is on Apple’s Siri struggles. But to shift to the company’s positives for a moment, the most recent Apple product has proven an unusually great one. Here’s why the M4 MacBook Air represents Apple at its best, and along with the recent Mac mini, hints at a positive new trend.
M4 MacBook Air and Mac mini are standout products in Apple’s lineup
Apple built its reputation as a product company. It makes great products that provide compelling user experiences.
In my mind, one of the chief advantages Apple has long had over competitors is that its products come with minimal compromises.
Two members of the M4 Mac lineup have been especially shining examples of this.
It started with the M4 Mac mini last fall, which won the affection of many.
Now the M4 MacBook Air has continued that trend of being free of any notable compromises or shortcomings.
Some highlights of each include:
- having extremely powerful chips
- 16GB RAM being standard
- Mac mini has an adorable new design
- MacBook Air can now finally drive multiple displays properly
- port options are solid
- and of course, there’s price tags
$999 (or less) for the M4 MacBook Air and $599 (nay, $529) for the M4 Mac mini is, in both cases, an extremely compelling value.
I could list off more features, but the bigger standout than individual strengths is their lack of weaknesses.
Each Mac is easy to recommend to anyone, free from asterisks.
What bad things can you really say about either product?
Sure, as an iPad Pro user I can pick on the Mac’s lack of Face ID, 5G connectivity, and touch support.
But those are broader platform issues. I can’t blame these products for Apple dragging its feet bringing such features to the Mac.
Next year’s MacBook Pro seems likely to continue Apple’s hot streak
My praise for the M4 MacBook Air and Mac mini isn’t meant to reflect poorly on the rest of Apple’s Mac lineup.
But there’s something special about these two computers that elevates them above the rest—at least for me.
It’s a combination of features, price, broad appeal, limited drawbacks, and more.
I think this trend of Apple making standout new Macs could spread to the MacBook Pro next.
This year’s M5 MacBook Pro will reportedly be a minor spec bump. But next year, the M6 MacBook Pro could prove extremely compelling.
Rumors point to:
If these rumors pan out, it will be a monumental update for the MacBook Pro that elevates the product in a new way.
Apple’s M4 MacBook Air and Mac mini: wrap-up
Cards on the table: I don’t use the Mac all that often. I love my 13-inch M4 iPad Pro and am typing away on one right now.
But I can’t deny that the M4 MacBook Air and Mac mini are uniquely strong members of Apple’s lineup. And that the 2026 MacBook Pro sounds like a phenomenal update too.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Mac was struggling at Apple. The pre-Apple Silicon days were dark. But now, in many ways, the Mac shines as a beacon of Apple at its best.
What do you think of Apple’s recent Mac success? Let us know in the comments.
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