Apple has just updated its once-revolutionary, ultra-portable MacBook Air laptop, giving the computer a major boost in performance, support for 6K displays, twice the storage capacity, the new (old) magic keyboard, and a lower starting price of $999.
First and foremost, the new MacBook Air is the first computer to get the new magic keyboard since Apple debuted it in the 16-inch MacBook Pro. A welcome addition for anyone (which is almost everyone) that disliked the unreliable butterfly keyboard that you’ll still find on the 13-inch models.
Beyond this, the spec bump is largely internal. All of the configurations get a bump to the 10th generation of Intel Core chips, starting with a 1.1GHz Dual-Core i3 and maxing out (for $250 more) at a 1.3GHz Quad-Core i7. Both chips can Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz and beyond, and this also means users will get access to Intel’s much-improved Iris Plus integrated graphics as well.
All in all, Apple claims that the new processors with their better graphics will offer “up to two times faster CPU performance and up to 80 percent faster graphics performance” if you step all the way up to the top-tier model.
Finally, storage has also been upgraded, and now starts at 256GB for the base model, with configurations going all the way up to a whopping 2TB.
Like the new iPad Pro, Apple’s latest MacBook Air is available to order online starting today, and will begin shipping next week.
The base model starts at $1,000 with a 1.1GHz Dual-Core i3 (Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz), 256GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM. But you can configure it all the way up to $2,250 with a 1.2GHz Quad-Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz), 2TB of storage, and 16GB or RAM. It’s worth noting that most of that cost comes from the storage upgrade, which will cost you $800 on its own. A more reasonable model might be the 512GB model with 16GB of RAM and the top CPU for $1,650.
To learn more about the new MacBook Air or configure/purchase your own, head over to the Apple website.
