Apple on Wednesday introduced a new MacBook Air on its website, offering improved performance while retaining the familiar design. The new laptop is equipped with Apple’s M4 chip, the most recent addition to the M-series chip lineup.
The MacBook Air comes in two sizes. Customers can choose between a 13-inch and a 15-inch display. Pricing starts at $999 for the 13-inch model, which is $100 lower than the previous entry price of $1,099. Preorders open today and shipments start on Wednesday, March 12.
This update maintains 16GB of RAM in the base configuration, unchanged from last year’s model. This means that the entry-level MacBook Air still meets the minimum requirements for Apple Intelligence. Customers can upgrade built-in memory to 32GB when purchasing the laptop.
Previous MacBook Air models had two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Apple still offers two Thunderbolt ports, but it is upgrading those ports to Thunderbolt 4. With those ports, you can plug up to two external displays and keep the built-in display running. Customers also get a MagSafe 3 charging port and a good old 3.5mm headphone jack port.
The webcam has been upgraded and now supports Center Stage, a software feature that puts the person currently talking in the center of the frame. Apple also offers a brand new color called sky blue. The three other colors (midnight, starlight, and silver) are still available.
While the MacBook Air is lighter and more affordable than the MacBook Pro, these advantages come with some trade-offs. For instance, the MacBook Pro offers longer battery life and boasts a nicer mini-LED display with higher pixel density.
Despite these differences, the MacBook Air remains one of the top-selling laptops due to its good balance between performance and price. Although the M4 update isn’t a radical change, it is likely to maintain strong sales, similar to the M3 MacBook Air.
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Apple first introduced the M4 chip with the iPad Pro in May 2024. Over the past year, the company has gradually transitioned its product lineup to the M4 chip, with the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac now featuring M4 chips or their Pro and Max variants.
