New MacBook Air brings better keyboard, price, storage

Yesterday afternoon, Apple updated the MacBook Air, its most popular notebook, and finally caved in to the demand for more storage. It features faster performance, the “new” Magic Keyboard with a scissor mechanism, twice the storage, and a new lower price of $999, down from $1099.

The new MacBook Air delivers up to two times faster CPU performance and up to 80 percent faster graphics performance, compared to its predecessor. It also now starts with 256GB of storage, double that of the previous generation’s 128GB. That’s configurable to up to a 2TB SSD, eliminating frustration of the 256GB limit. It houses a 13-inch Retina display for vivid images and sharp text, Touch ID fingerprint recognition for easy login and secure online purchases, and a spacious trackpad.

“From students and consumers buying their first computer to customers looking to upgrade, everyone loves the Mac, and they especially love MacBook Air,” said Tom Boger, Apple’s senior director of Mac and iPad Product Marketing. “Today we’re giving it a huge update, with two times faster performance, the new Magic Keyboard, double the storage, a new lower price of $999 and an even lower price of $899 for education. With its stunning, thin and light design, brilliant Retina display, all-day battery life and the power and ease-of-use of macOS, MacBook Air is the world’s best consumer notebook.”

Faster Everyday Performance
 
Now offering quad-core processors, the MacBook Air delivers more speed across everyday activities, from organising photos to editing videos. It features the latest 10th-generation Intel Core processors up to 1.2GHz quad-core Core i7, with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.8GHz. It also has Intel Iris Plus Graphics integrated into the system to deliver up to 80 percent faster graphics performance.

New Magic Keyboard
 
It features the “new” Magic Keyboard, first introduced on the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Apple has returned to the original scissor mechanism, like the keys found in the older MacBook Air models, but it calls it “a redesigned scissor mechanism”. This allows for 1mm of key travel for a comfortable and stable key feel, while the “new” inverted-“T” arrangement for the arrow keys makes them easier to find without looking down.

Built-in Security and Privacy
 
The notebook comes with the Apple T2 Security Chip, Apple’s custom-designed second-generation silicon, which checks that software loaded during the boot process has not been tampered with and provides on-the-fly data encryption for everything stored on the SSD. This allows the MacBook Air and any Mac with the T2 chip to deliver the most secure boot process and storage of any notebook. The T2 also protects Touch ID information, so whether customers are unlocking their Mac, entering an online password or making online purchases, their information stays safe.

Additional Features

• A three-mic array for more clear voice capture for FaceTime calls with friends and family.
• The industry-best Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and multi-touch navigation.
• Thunderbolt 3 ports for data transfer, charging and video output in a single connector.
• Support for up to a 6K external display, a first for MacBook Air.

The new MacBook Air will be available in the US from next week. No local availability has been announced.