page_title: MacBook Air
section_title: Design and upgradability
hierarchical_section_title: MacBook Air / Second generation (Tapered and dual USB) / Design and upgradability
caption_attribution_description: MacBook Air SuperDrive
context_page_description: The MacBook Air is a line of laptop computers developed and manufactured by Apple Inc. It consists of a full-size keyboard, a machined aluminum case, and a thin light structure. The Air was originally positioned above the previous MacBook line as a premium ultraportable. Since then, the original MacBook's discontinuation in 2011, and lowered prices on subsequent iterations, have made the Air Apple's entry-level laptop. In the current product line, the MacBook Air is situated below the performance range MacBook Pro.
  The MacBook Air was introduced in January 2008 with a 13.3-inch screen, and was promoted as the world's thinnest notebook. Apple released a second generation MacBook Air in October 2010, with a redesigned tapered chassis, standard solid-state storage, and added a smaller 11.6-inch version. Later revisions added Intel Core i5 or i7 processors and Thunderbolt. The third generation was released in October 2018, with reduced dimensions, a Retina display, and combination USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports for data and power.
context_section_description: Although MacBook Air components are officially non-user-replaceable, third parties do sell upgrade kits for the SSDs. The flash memory and battery are enclosed in the casing, and the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard. The flash memory is difficult to access and has a 128 MB cache and a mSATA connection (updated to a proprietary PCIe interface) to the motherboard.
caption: The optional Apple USB SuperDrive DVD drive
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