Basic Apple Guy reminded us yesterdayon his accountwhatthe MacBook Air celebrated its 16th birthday today. It was presented bySteve Jobsin the auditorium of the Macworld conference, January 15, 2008. Dressed in his eternal black turtleneck and true to his showmanship, Jobs was not content to simplyto presentthis absolutely revolutionary computer for its time.
Three minutes into the presentation, he said: “It's so thin that it can fit in a simple envelope, like the ones you see everywhere in the office. Look, I'll show you". A theatrical gesture that has become legendary in the history of tech and which will remain forevera moment of pure marketing magic.
The MacBook Air, an icon from its first presentation
Jobs pauses, walks to stage left and picks up a classic manila envelope. The crowd laughed, applauded and the former Apple manager ended up taking the beast out of its paper case. The audiencewas completely stunned.
With MacBook Air,with its 1.9 centimeter thickness, was completely outside the standards of the time when most laptops were real bricks. Only one competitor could claim such finesse: the Toshiba Portege R200, previous champion of the category with its 1.98 cm.
The advertising campaign that followed the presentation takes up this simple, but impactful concept: a computer so thin that it slips into an envelope. She remains, even today,one of Apple's most successful advertisementsand is often cited as an effective and memorable marketing reference.
This quest for finesse has encouraged manufacturersto rethink the architecture of their laptopsand to find new solutions to integrate all the necessary components in a reduced space. Apple set the tone from this presentation.
Fine and powerful
The first MacBook Air was the result of hard work by Apple's teams, who managed to miniaturize all the computer's components,without too much compromise on its performance. The Intel Merom processor and the Intel GMA graphics chip are reduced in size by 60%. The 13.3-inch screen, equipped with anti-glare LED backlighting, is accompanied by a full keyboard and an innovative touchpad incorporating multi-touch technology.
On October 14 of the same year,Apple perfected its formula. The MacBook Air was equipped with a low-power Penryn processor and an Nvidia GeForce graphics card. For its part, storage also evolved, with options of up to 128 GB in SSD or 120 GB in traditional hard drive and the micro-DVI port gave way to Mini DisplayPort.
Even if it received a rather mixed reception, in particular because of its price, its lack of connections and the very few configuration options,the first MacBook Air wasn't just a product. It was a moment in history; beyond the purely technical aspect,it is the art of narration and stagingwho made a lasting impression that day. An art that is difficult to find today in the keynotes of the post-Jobs era. It is looking back that his absenceis sometimes cruelly felt.
- The MacBook Air, unveiled in 2008, made history with its revolutionary thinness and memorable theatrical presentation.
- Its design has led the industry to innovate by miniaturizing components while maintaining high performance.
- Although received lukewarmly upon its release, it remains a symbol of marketing genius and the Jobs era at Apple.
