We were very impressed by the MacBook Air 2022 when we saw it at WWDC 2022 yesterday. However, we're less keen on how Apple's holding one of its most convenient features hostage.
That feature is its 35W adapter with two USB-C ports. It'll allow you to charge two devices out of one outlet, and save you from plugging into the MacBook Air's limited supply of onboard ports.
What Apple doesn't make clear though is that this isn't the default charger. If you buy the entry-level MacBook Air at $1,199, you instead get a single port 30W charger. To get the 35W dual charger, you either need to spec it when buying the Air (for $20 extra) or buy the full-fat, $1,499 MacBook Air with a 10-core GPU version of the Apple M2 chip and 512GB storage to get it by default.
Apple also offers its 67W fast charger for the MacBook Air, if you want to get that promised 50% charge in 30 minutes. This is again a $20 extra for the base MacBook Air, or an alternative option to the two-port charger when speccing up the more expensive version.
And if you want to buy these chargers separately for use with your current Apple gear? That'll be $60 please, although just like the MacBook Air, you can't currently buy them. These will presumably also arrive "next month,” as Apple vaguely promised during the event.
One cute extra you do get by default with your MacBook Air charger is a color-matched MagSafe cable. Not only will this provide charge while minimizing the risk of damaging a port if you accidentally snag the cable, but it will look good while doing it. It's actually something that the more expensive MacBook Pro 2021 models don't offer.
WWDC 2022 had more to it than just the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13-inch though. We also heard about what's in store for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9 and macOS Ventura, which you can try out in beta now, or wait to appear as stable versions later this fall.
