Apple has given the MacBook Air a major facelift.
The ultra-thin laptop hasn’t been updated since it first debuted a decade ago, but that changed on Tuesday, as Apple unveiled an all-new MacBook Air at its hardware event in Brooklyn, New York.
The new Air features long-awaited updates like a Retina display, Touch ID and faster components.
It starts at $1,199 and goes on sale today, with orders shipping next week.
Apple has given the MacBook Air a major facelift. The new, $1,199 Air features long-awaited updates like a Retina display, Touch ID and faster components
The event kicked off with the Mac, as Cook revealed Apple has now hit a milestone 100 million of the devices worldwide.
And, he says, none is more popular than the MacBook Air – the ‘most beloved MacBook ever.’
‘It changed the industry, and redefined the modern notebook’ he said. ‘It’s time for a new MacBook Air.’
With that, Apple took the wraps off a brand new Air, which boasts a 13.3-inch display and the removal of the laptop’s ‘familiar aluminum bezel,’ resulting in 50 percent narrower borders.
It now comes in silver, space grey and gold.
The update that received the most buzz was the addition of a Retina display – the most-requested feature from consumers, according to Apple.
With the Retina display, Apple has quadrupled the number of pixels on he screen to more than 4 million pixels, which has provided 4x the resolution quality than previous models.
‘Every part of the product has been redesigned and re-engineered. It’s absolutely beautiful,’ Apple’s Laura Lagrove said.
‘…Text and images are sharper and more detailed and with 48 percent more color, those images are more lifelike than ever.’
The new Air also features Touch ID, located in the righthand corner of the keyboard, which lets users seamlessly unlock their device using their finger.
Apple said the Touch ID also houses its own T2 security chip.
With the Retina display, Apple has quadrupled the number of pixels on he screen to more than 4 million pixels, which has provided 4x the resolution quality than previous models
For privacy conscious users, Apple says the chip functions as a secure enclave for their data, protecting Touch ID information and ensuring that any software running during the boot process is protected.
The keyboard has been upgraded to Apple’s latest ‘butterfly’ model and it features a Force Touch track pad that’s 20 percent bigger than the previous Air.
Inside, Apple has equipped the Air with Intel’s latest 8th-generation dualcore Intel CPU, up to 1.5 TB of storage and up to 16GB of RAM.
The Air has up to 16gb of faster memory, which is double the capacity of the previous Air. Two USB-C ports are located on the Air and it has speakers that are 25 percent louder
The Air has up to 16gb of faster memory, which is double the capacity of the previous Air.
Two USB-C ports are located on the Air and it features speakers that are 25 percent louder than the previous model.
It also features all-day battery life – 12 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 13 hours of iTunes movie playback – a new metric from Apple.
Keeping with the Air’s ultra-light design, it’s 17 percent smaller by volume than the outgoing MacBook Air model.
That means the Air weighs in at just 2.75lbs.
Despite its edge-to-edge screen, Apple still managed to fit a webcam at the top of the display, enablign features like the new Group FaceTime tool in macOS Mojave.
Apple’s New York hardware event kicked off with the Mac, as Cook revealed Apple has now hit a milestone 100 million of the devices worldwide. And, he says, none is more popular than the MacBook Air – the ‘most beloved notebook ever’
Despite its edge-to-edge screen, Apple still managed to fit a webcam at the top of the display, enablign features like the new Group FaceTime tool in macOS Mojave
It also features all-day battery life – 12 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 13 hours of iTunes movie playback – a new metric from Apple
Overall, Apple says it brought many of its ‘most advanced technology to the Air’s iconic design,’ powering an ‘incredibly vivid and precise display.’
Apple’s Brooklyn event is also expected to include the launch of a revamped iPad Pro.
A redesigned iPad Pro is also predicted to be among the new products showcased, one that introduces an edge-to-edge display on the device for the first time.
A new icon discovered in Apple’s iOS gives a glimpse at what the next iPad Pro could look like. The image shows a device with rounded corners, no home button and no notch
This would be joined by facial recognition technology Face ID – bringing it in line with the iPhone X and XS design of an all-screen front panel and removal of the Home button.
The live event follows a busy two months for the California-based firm as it has released three new iPhone handsets as well as a new Apple Watch.
Updates are now expected to arrive to its tablet and laptop ranges.