Redesigned MacBook Air laptops are displayed at Apple Park It was easier when the chipsets in your hardware were further apart regarding performance. There was a visible gap between the Intel-powered MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops. When you considered the capabilities against the increased price of the MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air, the difference was clear.
The need for professionals to have workstation-level performance from a laptop meant that there was always a role for the MacBook Pro. Still, in terms of a prosumer laptop with high performance, the MacBook Air could deliver that out of the box, so there was no need to spend more and move up the portfolio.