The MacBook Air has always been one of Apple 's most popular Macs, while the iMac is probably the most famous. The two have a lot in common, but a lot separates them.
On one side are two MacBook Airs with the M2 chip, which joined the series in July 2022 and sits alongside an M1 MacBook Air from 2020. On the other side are three iMacs, all with the M1 chip. If you're deciding between a new MacBook Air or iMac, or considering switching from iMac to MacBook Air or from Air to iMac, take a look at this article to see if it's a good move. In this article, we'll examine what's the same and what's different. So you can be sure that you have made the right decision.
There are a number of important considerations, but the biggest will probably be whether you should choose the Mac with the latest chip (MacBook Air with M2 support) over the almost two-year-old M1. We'll cover the differences between the M2 and M1 below, and pay particular attention to the advantages the iMac's design can bring compared to the MacBook Air's design.
We'll start by taking a look at the design differences before moving on to the price and features of these two Mac variants.
MacBook Air and iMac: Design
The M1 iMac arrives in 2021 with a brand new look and a new dimension. With its aluminum frame unchanged for over a decade, the old 21.5-inch iMac has been transformed into a 24-inch iMac that comes in seven different colors. It is available in green, yellow, orange, red, purple, blue or silver color options and the back tone is darker than the front. The screen is surrounded by a white border.
The MacBook Air with the M1 chip (still on sale) has the same design Apple has used since 2018, but the M2 MacBook Air, introduced in June 2022 and released in July, has a new look. Some expected the Air to follow the design lead of the iMac with similar bright colors. That didn't happen, but there are two new hues that increase the number of color skins you can choose from to four: Midnight (blue/black), Starlight (gold), Space Gray and silver.
For its 2022 redesign, the MacBook Air lost the tapered wedge-like design. However, it is still thin and light. If you want a portable Mac laptop, you can't beat it. As laptops go, it's one of the most attractive laptops you can buy.
Of course, the whole point is whether you can carry the computer with you or whether it will always be in the same place. If you don't need to carry it, the iMac would be a good option, but if you're going to bring it to and from work or college, then a laptop is a must have.
Still, there are benefits to iMac design that shouldn't be overlooked. The MacBook Air packs many of the same components into a very small chassis, and this has its downsides. The iMac has two fans that the MacBook Air doesn't have (Mac mini and Pro each have a fan). Having two fans will allow the iMac to maintain lower temperatures during processor-intensive activities. Where the MacBook Air will throttle and therefore users will see a performance slowdown, the iMac should be able to expand its capabilities and continue.