M4 MacBook Air introduces the most subtle design difference

Apple has introduced a very subtle design change to the M4 MacBook Air that makes it easily identifiable next to M3 and M2 models.

As iCulture.nl points out, there’s a single identifying design choice for the M4 MacBook Air that is easy to spot but isn’t immediately obvious.

It comes down to the volume keys on the built-in keyboard. M2 and M3 MacBook Air mute keys use a plain speaker outline for the mute key. The M4 MacBook Air instead uses a speaker outline with a diagonal line through it for mute.

The previous mute key icon made sense when compared to the volume down and volume up keys, but the new mute key icon is understandable without the comparison to the other volume key icons.

It also matches the icon that Apple uses in software, and Apple is using the same mute key icon on the new Magic Keyboard for M3 iPad Air.

The bigger design change, of course, is replacing space gray with a new sky blue color that’s exclusive to the M4 MacBook Air for now.

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