Apple’s latest MacBook Air model doesn’t just boost performance. With the new M4 chip, AI-driven features and low starting prices, Apple aims to make its lightweight laptop lineup even more attractive.
The base 13-inch model starts at $$ 999, costs $100 more than before $100 and costs $899 for education, with the 15-inch version priced at $1,199. The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models will be available for pre-order from March 12th to store availability.
Apple bets on AI and integrates “Apple Intelligence” capabilities that streamline tasks such as writing emails, editing photos, and answering questions with ChatGPT access to make your device more convenient. The company expands these tools in a variety of regions and languages, expanding their scope.
According to LSEG, the Mac sales reached $8.99 billion in the holiday quarter, with analysts’ forecast of $7.96 billion.
In addition to updating the MacBook Air, Apple also introduced the M3 Ultra processor, providing a major performance jump to the Mac Studio lineup. Designed for AI developers, video editors and power users, Mac Studio starts at $1,999. The M3 Ultra Variant contains at least 96GB of memory, while the M4 Max model starts at 36GB. According to Apple, the M3 Ultra can run large language models with over 600 billion parameters directly on the device.
With AI capabilities burned into modern hardware, Apple is bolstering its position in a market that is increasingly focused on intelligent computing.
Fresh new shades: Sky Blue joins the MacBook Air lineup
Apple is adding new colors to its MacBook Air Collection and Sky Blue. This metallic light blue shifts dynamically depending on how light hits the surface, giving it an impressive, modern look. Sky Blue joins existing color options: Midnight, Starlight, Silver. To complete the look, Apple includes a Magsafe charging cable for each model to match the colour.
The M4’s MacBook Air is available in a stunning new colour, Sky Blue.
The M4 brings more speed and longer battery life
The new M4 chip advances the performance of your MacBook Air, smoothing multitasking and speeding up tasks like photo and video editing. Support for 10 core CPUs, up to 10 core GPUs, and up to 32GB of unified memory gives you twice the speed of the M1 model. Compared to the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air, Apple claims to be up to 23 times faster than the M4 version.
“The MacBook Air is the world’s most popular laptop, and today it offers even more reasons to love it, including the performance of the M4 chip, a new center stage camera, and a beautiful new Sky Blue Collar.”
“Combined with a thin, light fanless design, all-day battery life and the incredible features of the MacOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence, the MacBook Air is different from other laptops. Also, with its new $999 launch price, the MacBook Air offers more value than ever before to consumers, making this the perfect moment to upgrade or experience your Mac for the first time,” he added.
Battery life is another major upgrade. Users switching from Intel models can expect up to 6 hours of extra time, while the M4 MacBook Air lasts up to 18 hours on a single charge.
Apple also leaps heavily towards AI-powered capabilities with an updated neural engine, speeding up tasks like enhancing video photos and removing background noise from videos.
For those relying on heavy workloads on their MacBooks, the M4 brings significant performance improvements across major applications.
Microsoft Excel’s calculations are up to 4.7 times faster than the Intel-based MacBook Air and 1.6 times faster than the M1 model. Imovie video editing is up to 8 times faster than the Intel-based version and twice faster than the M1 model. Adobe Photoshop runs up to 3.6 times faster on the Intel-based version and twice as fast as the M1 model. Web browsing is up to 60% faster than a PC laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor.
Built for AI: Apple Intelligence for MacBook Air
With an image playground powered by Apple Intelligence, the MacBook Air makes it easy to create fun and unique images with concepts like themes, outfits, accessories, locations and more.
Apple has optimized the MacBook Air for AI-powered features, making it more intuitive and efficient. Users can try Image Playground for visual creativity, create custom emojis using Genmoji, and refine their writing with new editing tools. Siri improves audio-to-text interaction and provides step-by-step instructions for Mac features.
ChatGPT is integrated into writing tools and SIRI, allowing users to leverage their expertise without the need for an account. Apple guarantees privacy by obscuring IP addresses and preventing OpenAI from storing user requests. Users have full control over when and how they are involved in chatgpt.
With a fresh design, a stronger AI focus and a notable speed increase, the M4 MacBook Air is becoming an attractive option for both longtime Apple users and those considering an upgrade.
With AI woven into modern hardware, Apple is clearly pushing for devices to relate to an industry competing for more intelligent computing.
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