Apple has unveiled its latest MacBook Air, bringing significant improvements to the world’s most popular laptop while also lowering the price.
The new MacBook Air is powered by Apple’s M4 chip, marking a notable performance jump from the previous M3 generation. It also introduces a 12MP Center Stage webcam for clearer video calls – the previous model had a basic 1080p webcam – plus support for two external displays alongside the built-in screen. There’s also lovely sky blue color option we haven’t seen before.
But most surprising of all, Apple has dropped the starting price by $100, making the base model available for $999. That’s fantastic value for a MacBook, although as ever you’ll be charged a considerable premium for any spec upgrades. Those wanting even more power will still need to look at the MacBook Pro range instead.
While these updates represent a solid generational leap, the announcement itself was a quiet one – following Apple’s similarly subdued reveal of a new iPad Air the day before.
Alongside the MacBook Air, Apple also introduced updates for professional users. Mac Studio has been refreshed with Apple’s newly announced M3 Ultra chip and support for an eye-watering 512GB of RAM (if you can afford it), offering extreme performance for those who need it.
With this latest round of updates, Apple has maintained its iterative approach – no radical redesigns, but significant improvements where they matter. It’s nice to see Apple prioritizing value for once, too. Preorders are open now with availability from March 12.