1. M5 Air is a spec‑bump + price‑rise refresh
The new model simply moves the base from 256 GB to 512 GB and adds a $100 price tag.
“M4 to M5, base storage bumped from 256GB to 512GB, price increased by $100.” – stetrain
“The base 512GB M5 Air is $1100, down from $1200 for 512GB M4 Air.” – SirMaster
2. Apple’s Air remains a value‑heavy choice
Despite the price hike, many users still see the Air as the best bang‑for‑buck laptop, especially for developers and everyday use.
“The base Macbook Air continues to be an absolutely great deal that is actually sufficient for the large majority of full‑stack devs.” – bengale
“The Air is a good value, but the new cheap Macbook will fill the gap.” – cj
3. Thermal throttling and fanless design are a mixed bag
The fanless Air can throttle under sustained heavy load, and some users still worry about heat.
“The M5 Air is fanless but can throttle.” – giwook
“I still have a M4 MBA and I am not a fan of the fanless design under heavy load.” – giwook
4. Linux support remains limited
Apple’s silicon is still largely closed to native Linux, with Asahi only covering older chips and no official BootCamp.
“Asahi is great on earlier models but it will not support M5 before it’s behind.” – saghm
“Apple doesn’t support Linux.” – cromka
5. Cellular‑modem debate is niche but persistent
A handful of users want a built‑in cellular modem, but most see it as an unnecessary cost for a laptop that can use a phone hotspot.
“I would love a Mac with cellular built in.” – julianozen
“They don’t have a cellular modem.” – raw_anon_1111
These five themes capture the bulk of the discussion: a modest refresh that raises the price, the Air’s continued value proposition, concerns about heat and throttling, the lack of native Linux support, and the ongoing debate over cellular connectivity.