By: iPadfanzz staff on June 11, 2013
Apple has unveiled a new generation of MacBook Air notebooks. While the looks remain the same, the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Airs are being updated with Intel's just announced 4th-gen processors, better battery life, and larger, faster flash storage.
Haswell Processors
The biggest update to the new MacBook Air comes with the latest processor from Intel, the Haswell. The Core i5 Haswell processor in the MacBook Air comes standard with a 1.3 GHz processor but a 1.7 GHz option is available. For $150 more, you can configure the same system with a 1.7-GHz Core i7, and both come with 4GB of RAM standard.
Improved Graphics
The new models now offer improved Intel HD Graphics 5000—with up to twice the number of execution units found in the previous Intel HD Graphics 4000. It results in 40 per cent improvement in graphics performance, providing performance on par with an entry-level discrete GPU.
Better Battery Life
The biggest gain to be offered by Intel's new hardware, however, is in battery life. The 13-inch MacBook Air will now give a battery life of 12 hours instead of the 7 hours earlier, and at the same time the 11-inch MacBook Air would last for 9 hours instead of the 5 hours in the previous generation. Movie playback is stretched to 10 hours.
802.11ac Wi-Fi
For superfast Internet speeds, Apple has stepped up to 802.11ac Wi-Fi, the newest wireless standard, offering up to three times the speed of the current 802.11n standard. This switch to the newer, faster standard will also provide a measure of future proofing to keep the newest MacBook Air feeling fast over the next three to five years.
Bigger storage
While the base price of the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models is the same, the amount of storage included has doubled. Where the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models previously came with 64GB standard, it now offers 128GB of flash memory. Besides, there is also improvement in flash memory, up to 45 percent faster than the flash storage in the previous-generation MacBook Air.
Pricing and Availability
The new 11-inch MacBook Air, with Intel 4th-Generation hardware and 128GB memory, is available for $999. The 13-inch MacBook Air, also with a 4th-Generation processor and 128GB flash storage, starts at $1,099. Both are available for order today through the Apple online store.
Apple has unveiled a new generation of MacBook Air notebooks. While the looks remain the same, the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Airs are being updated with Intel's just announced 4th-gen processors, better battery life, and larger, faster flash storage.
Haswell Processors
The biggest update to the new MacBook Air comes with the latest processor from Intel, the Haswell. The Core i5 Haswell processor in the MacBook Air comes standard with a 1.3 GHz processor but a 1.7 GHz option is available. For $150 more, you can configure the same system with a 1.7-GHz Core i7, and both come with 4GB of RAM standard.
Improved Graphics
The new models now offer improved Intel HD Graphics 5000—with up to twice the number of execution units found in the previous Intel HD Graphics 4000. It results in 40 per cent improvement in graphics performance, providing performance on par with an entry-level discrete GPU.
Better Battery Life
The biggest gain to be offered by Intel's new hardware, however, is in battery life. The 13-inch MacBook Air will now give a battery life of 12 hours instead of the 7 hours earlier, and at the same time the 11-inch MacBook Air would last for 9 hours instead of the 5 hours in the previous generation. Movie playback is stretched to 10 hours.
802.11ac Wi-Fi
For superfast Internet speeds, Apple has stepped up to 802.11ac Wi-Fi, the newest wireless standard, offering up to three times the speed of the current 802.11n standard. This switch to the newer, faster standard will also provide a measure of future proofing to keep the newest MacBook Air feeling fast over the next three to five years.
Bigger storage
While the base price of the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models is the same, the amount of storage included has doubled. Where the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models previously came with 64GB standard, it now offers 128GB of flash memory. Besides, there is also improvement in flash memory, up to 45 percent faster than the flash storage in the previous-generation MacBook Air.
Pricing and Availability
The new 11-inch MacBook Air, with Intel 4th-Generation hardware and 128GB memory, is available for $999. The 13-inch MacBook Air, also with a 4th-Generation processor and 128GB flash storage, starts at $1,099. Both are available for order today through the Apple online store.
