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Boring Old Menu Bar was developed to bring the 'perfectly fine' macOS Catalina menu bar to macOS 11 Big Sur. MacOS 11 Big Sur does many things right and after a bit of getting used to, the visual style really grows on you. MacOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages. And get even more transparency around your privacy.
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Apple wants people to fall back in love with its latest MacBook Air.
For many users, the pre-Retina, 13-inch MacBook Air was one of the best laptops ever made. For too long, though, it fell behind the curve as Apple introduced better performance and higher-resolution screens to the rest of its lineup. Finally, Apple brought the high-res Retina display and some other improvements to the Air in 2018. Maybe the world's best laptop was back?2018's Air was a pretty good machine, but it wasn't a candidate for world's best laptop anymore, thanks to the prone-to-fail butterfly keyboard design and a painful lack of ports. A refresh in 2019 brought some refinements, but it didn't address either of those issues. Now, finally, Apple has pulled out the butterfly keyboard and put in something we hope will be much more dependable.
So is the 2020 MacBook Air again worthy of consideration as the world's best laptop?
Table of Contents
Specifications
| Specs at a glance: 2020 MacBook Air | |
|---|---|
| Screen | 2560×1600 at 13.3 inches |
| OS | macOS Catalina 10.15.3 |
| CPU | 1.1GHz 4-core Intel Core i5 (3.5GHz Turbo) with 6MB L3 cache |
| RAM | 8GB 3733MHz LPDDR4X |
| GPU | Intel Iris Plus Graphics |
| HDD | 512GB SSD |
| Networking | 802.11ac Wi-Fi; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 3, 3.5mm headphone |
| Size | 0.16–0.63 inch×11.97-inch×8.36-inch (0.41–1.61cm×30.41cm×21.24cm) |
| Weight | 2.8lbs (1.29kg) |
| Warranty | 1 year, or 3 years with AppleCare+ |
| Price as reviewed | $1,299 |
| Other perks | 720p FaceTime HD camera, stereo speakers |
Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Buyers can spend an extra $100 for a 1.1GHz Core i5 with 3.5GHz Turbo Boost and a 6MB cache; if you can afford it, the cost here is worth it. There's also a 1.2GHz Core i7 with 3.8GHz Turbo Boost and 8MB cache option for $250 over the base config, but if performance is that important to you, at this price you might consider a MacBook Pro instead.
AdvertisementFor graphics, you're looking at Intel Iris Pro graphics matching whatever CPU you pick.
In standard configurations, the Air comes with 8GB of 3733MHz LPDDR4X memory, but you can opt to upgrade to 16GB for an additional $200—which I'd recommend for a lot of people, especially if they use a bunch of non-Apple apps like, say, Google Chrome.
Storage starts at 256GB in the base config, up from 128GB in past Airs. Apple has been doubling storage across its MacBook line, and that's very welcome. 128GB was pretty tight even for light users, but 256GB is just right for those using this as a basic productivity computer. You can go up to 512GB for another $200, 1TB for another $400, or a beefy 2TB for an extra $800.
The Air has the same Retina display as before. It's a 13.3-inch IPS panel with a native resolution of 2,560 by 1,600 pixels. Apple really made HiDPI displays take off when it first introduced Retina displays, but while the company is strong on things like color accuracy, competing products now offer much higher resolutions.
The Air's screen is above the threshold beyond which more pixels make for diminishing returns, though, so its resolution isn't much of a downside. But buyers should know that the Air's display can't match the photographer-friendly color accuracy of the MacBook Pro.
This is a good time to mention that the laptop defaults to a screen area that is equivalent to 1,440 x 900, which is pretty cramped by today's standards. You can bump it higher, but it looks a bit less sharp, and UI animations (like swiping between Spaces) get just a teensy bit choppier. It's not a big deal, but it's also not ideal.The part of the spec sheet that disappoints me most, though, is the lack of Wi-Fi 6. Instead we get the same old 802.11ac. Sure, Wi-Fi 6 is new on the scene, but you might expect to keep this computer for three or more years, and Wi-Fi 6 will probably be ubiquitous by then. Bluetooth 5.0 is present, though.
AdvertisementThis machine also has stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos support, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, along with what seems to be the same 720p FaceTime webcam Apple has been putting in its laptops for ages. The camera is fine, but in an age of telecommuting, you wouldn't be wrong to ask for a 1080p camera at this price.
Sadly, one of the biggest problems with the 2018 and 2019 MacBook Air models persists here: only two ports, both Thunderbolt 3/USB-C. More on that in a moment.
Design
It's refreshing to see Apple not try to 'change the world' here—but just designing a solid workstation.
The Air is thin, it has the classic tapered shape, it looks and feels sturdy, and it wastes no space or material. From an industrial design point of view, it's one of the best things Apple has ever made.It's also slightly more repairable than it used to be, according to a recent teardown by the good people at iFixit. They found that new wiring for the trackpad allows for easier access to both the trackpad and the battery without messing with the logic board, among other things. Repairability is still not a strong suit of the MacBook Air, but it seems to be improving.
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The new model is almost imperceptibly thicker than the 2019 Air, but its form is otherwise unchanged, and that's a great thing. It's still a sleek, tightly designed little laptop, which is one of the main things so many people appreciated about the Air over the years. There aren't a lot of laptops out there that feel this good to carry and to use.
The Achilles' heel of the design is the port situation, though. I'm not even talking about the fact that it uses Thunderbolt 3/USB-C; most other laptops in this class also use USB-C instead of larger USB-A ports, and it feels like that ship has sailed. I'm instead referring to the fact that it only has two ports, which may not be enough for much of the target audience, as one of those ports will usually be used for power. To make matters worse, the ports are both on the left side of the machine. Is your power outlet on the right side of your desk? Hope you're cool with running a cord across the desk or in some awkward arrangement behind it.
The ports remain the worst thing about the MacBook Air—but they're also the only thing I can criticize about the design. Now, on to the question everyone has: how is that new keyboard?
Replace the transparent Big Sur menu bar with the 'boring' light and dark versions from Catalina, or a custom color of your choice
What's new in Boring Old Menu Bar 1.16:
- The new version can ignore individual displays and provides sharper backgrounds on non-retina secondary displays.
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There are lots of reasons to be excited about Big Sur, but many users who have upgraded are already tired of the transparent menu bar, which replaces the classic dark or light one found in Catalina.
While it's understandable that visual redesigns may end up fixing things that aren't broken, an option to revert to the non-transparent menu bar would be nice. And that's exactly what Boring Old Menu Bar offers.
No more menu bar transparency
With this app, you can replace the Big Sur menu bar, which can't be customized in any way, with one of the many other options available, all non-transparent. Different settings can be used for Dark and Light mode.
If all you want is to revert to what you had before the update, you can opt for the Catalina-style menu bar, either the dark or light variants. If you want something different, there are white, black, and gray alternatives, or you can just pick a custom color.
Additional customization options
If you want a smaller or bigger menu bar for some reason, you can increase its dimensions in 1-pixel increments. You can also choose between a single-pixel or hairline divider style. The divider color can be changed as well.
iPad fans may want to try out the rounded screen corner look. You can change the option for each corner of the screen and set the number of pixels that should be rounded. It's not particularly noticeable, but some users might like the aesthetic.
The app supports multiple displays and multiple desktops, as well as dynamic wallpapers. You can also increase the delay before it reacts to resolution or wallpaper changes if you are experiencing any issues.
Make the menu bar great again
Basically, if you just can't get accustomed to the Big Sur menu bar, this app will bring you back to the good old days when we didn't have fancy things like transparency, and we liked it that way.
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Boring Old Menu Bar was reviewed by Catalin Chelariu
LIMITATIONS IN THE UNREGISTERED VERSION- 14-day trial
Boring Old Menu Bar 1.16
add to watchlistsend us an update- runs on:
- macOS 11.0 or later (Universal Binary)
- file size:
- 3.9 MB
- filename:
- BOMB.dmg
- main category:
- System Utilities
- developer:
- visit homepage
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