Apple Highlights 2018 MacBook Air and Mac Mini Reviews

by

Reviews for the new 2018 MacBook Air and Mac mini went live this morning ahead of tomorrow's launch, and in a press release, Apple this afternoon highlighted reviews from several media sites that were able to spend some time with the new machines.

Apple shared review passages from sites that include CNBC, WIRED, Daring Fireball, PC Mag, Six Colors, Tom's Guide, and more.

macbookairreviews
Daring Fireball, for example, called the MacBook Air the MacBook that "most people should buy," and the Daily Express said "fans of this laptop" will love the new update because "it takes the concept of power and ultimate portability to a whole new level."

Gear Patrol said the MacBook Air is the "perfect computer" for anyone looking to do "normal things" like web browsing, answering emails, and watching movies, while Refinery29 highlighted the MacBook Air's 12-hour battery life.

As for the Mac mini, Six Colors said that the new update allows it to fill a wide range of needs, from basic server needs to "high-end applications that require a great deal of processor power."

Tom's Guide said that the Mac mini is the best option for those who want a compact Mac desktop for streaming media or getting into Apple computing, and ZDNet said the new version is "designed for all types of users" and is "no longer serving a niche market."

As with prior reviews roundups for devices like the iPad Pro, Apple has only highlighted the positive elements from each review. For anyone considering a purchase of one of these machines, it's worth taking a deeper dive into the reviews to get a full picture of both the positives and the negatives.

Apple's full list of Mac mini and MacBook Air review selections can be seen in the article shared through the Apple Newsroom, while additional reviews can be found in our Mac mini and MacBook Air review roundups.

The new 2018 MacBook Air and Mac mini models officially launch tomorrow and base configurations will be available in Apple retail stores and from third-party retailers.

The first pre-orders for the machines are also set to be delivered on November 7 and have already started arriving in Australia and New Zealand.

Related Roundups: MacBook Air, Mac mini
Buyer's Guide: 13" MacBook Air (Neutral), Mac Mini (Neutral)
Related Forums: MacBook Air, Mac mini

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

New iPhone 17 Pro Details: Brighter Display, Best Battery Life, and More

Wednesday September 3, 2025 5:33 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
Read Full Article • 72 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Tuesday September 2, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices. Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 16 $799 iPhone 17 ...
Read Full Article • 59 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
Read Full Article • 83 comments
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
Read Full Article • 114 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Read Full Article • 62 comments
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Coming Next Week: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Thursday September 4, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
We're only days away from Apple's "Awe dropping" fall event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for...
Read Full Article • 89 comments

Top Rated Comments

CrazyForCashews Avatar
CrazyForCashews
89 months ago
True story I was at the Apple Store today at Fairview Mall in Toronto checking out some of their stuff and someone beside me wanted to buy a MacBook Air. They pointed towards the legendary MacBook Air that we all love and know and the Apple employee told them a new one just released and that they should get that one instead, but the customer said no and insisted to buy the "old" one instead.

The new MacBook Air is inferior to the old one in a lot of ways. People are dumb, but not that dumb. Nobody wants to deal with the bull and inconvenience of having limited ports, a crappy keyboard, and lack of MagSafe charging.

Such a shame Apple. You've done injustice to the MacBook Air name.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
AngerDanger
89 months ago
Wasn't the MacBook/MacBook Air delineation confusing enough?!



There we go.

Attachment Image
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yvan256 Avatar
Yvan256
89 months ago
And imagine how many more they could sell if it still had a keyboard with proper key travel and didn't increase the price by 200$USD, or at least put a quad-core in it for that price.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
simonmet Avatar
simonmet
89 months ago
I know Apple is only going to highlight the positives in any review but is there any reason why MR has to? Telling readers to “take a deeper dive” themselves to find the negatives doesn’t seem very balanced.

At any rate, I never consider reviews from sources that have contractual agreements with Apple for early access. I’ll always wait for user reviews from independent purchasers.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rtomyj Avatar
rtomyj
89 months ago
True story I was at the Apple Store today at Fairview Mall in Toronto checking out some of their stuff and someone beside me wanted to buy a MacBook Air. They pointed towards the legendary MacBook Air that we all love and know and the Apple employee told them a new one just released and that they should get that one instead, but the customer said no and insisted to buy the "old" one instead.

The new MacBook Air is inferior to the old one in a lot of ways. People are dumb, but not that dumb. Nobody wants to deal with the bull and inconvenience of having limited ports, a crappy keyboard, and lack of MagSafe charging.

Such a shame Apple. You've done injustice to the MacBook Air name.
And then everyone clapped?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CrazyForCashews Avatar
CrazyForCashews
89 months ago
And imagine how many more they could sell if it still had a keyboard with proper key travel and didn't increase the price by 200$USD, or at least put a quad-core in it for that price.
The keyboard is the fundamental part of a laptop. If it's bad, the whole laptop is bad.

I was testing out the 12" MacBooks (which I really have a thing for) but my goodness are the keyboards terrible. While using it I wanted to go on a website called Kijiji (it's like Craigslist but everyone in Canada uses it instead) and the bloody 'J' key didn't work. I had to press it at least 20 times for it to finally register and even then it's input was flaky. Knowing that the butterfly keyboard is also now on the new MacBook Air is a major letdown, as it's a major downgrade in terms of quality and functionality compared to the beloved scissor keys.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments