I upgraded from the M1 MacBook Air to the M5, and here’s what changed for me
After about four years with the M1 MacBook Air , I finally pulled the trigger on the M5, and I got there just in time to dodge Apple’s recent price hike by eleven days , a story I already told elsewhere, and one that still makes me feel unreasonably smug. Upgrading from the M1 was a multi-generational leap for me, not in the ways mentioned on the spec sheet, but in ways that actually changed how I work every day. Here’s why that matters in 2026, when the memory crisis has hit the consumer electronics market so badly that even giants like Apple had to cave. MacBook Air M5 launched at $1,099 , then climbed to $1,299 . The screen isn’t a major upgrade, and the speakers are a downgrade instead However, after using the device for about two months now, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s still one of the most competitive laptops available in the segment, especially for someone who doesn’t need a discrete GPU and the bulk that comes along with it. I’ll admit the 13.6-inch display on the M...