Apple's discontinuation of the M1 MacBook Air in 2008 and adoption of Apple Silicon in the M2 MacBook Pro significantly impacted the ultraportable laptop market.

Apple has officially discontinued the iconic wedge-shaped form that has marked the M1 MacBook Air range for more than 14 years. Steve Jobs first showed the wedge-shaped MacBook Air in 2008 and quickly became recognizable. The MacBook Air's design remained the same despite upgrades to its internal components, such as stronger CPUs and better displays, throughout several iterations.

The business started to change the MacBook Air's design language in 2020 with the launch of Apple Silicon. When the M1 model was announced in November 2020, it kept the wedge shape but added greater thickness and a fanless design. Launched in 2022, the M2 model that followed it significantly deviated from the traditional form, taking on a more MacBook Pro-like appearance.

Apple abandoned the M1 MacBook Air, the final MacBook with the recognizable design when it unveiled the new M3 MacBook Air model two years later. This decision is a dramatic departure from the Air's long-standing, slim, tapered design ethos.

The wedge shape, a mainstay of the laptop market for more than ten years, is retiring with the M1 MacBook Air. Following the popularity of the MacBook Air, several ultraportable computers adopted a tapered profile as well, making the wedge shape a distinguishing feature of the class.