On Monday, March 4th, Apple took the wraps off the latest version of its ever-popular MacBook Air models.
The 13 and 15-inch laptops are now equipped with the faster and more powerful M3 series chipset, which the tech giant claims to be 60% faster than the M2 from 2022.
The company debuted the M3 back in October 2023 with the iMac desktop and the more powerful MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch laptops.
Apple Unveils M3 MacBook Air With Liquid Retina Display and Multi-External Display Support
Both MacBook Airs now come with a Liquid Retina display found on the more premium Pro models with up to 500 nits of peak brightness.
The laptops also offer support for up to two external displays when the lid is closed, a much-needed improvement from the single-screen support offered by the M2 chip.
The new MacBook Air has been upgraded to WiFi 6E, supporting the 6GHz band with faster download speeds, and up to 18 hours of battery life.
Apple has decided to keep the design of the laptop the same as earlier models that were launched at the tail end of 2022.
The M3 MacBook Air models also come with MagSafe charging and two Thunderbolt ports. Additionally, the laptops feature a new 1080p FaceTime camera, three microphones, and support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos.
Apple Declares MacBook Air the Best Consumer Laptop for AI
Apple called its new MacBook Air lineup the “world’s best consumer laptop for AI”. The devices are equipped with an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine that the company claims can run optimized AI models, as well as a built-in GPU that allows for mesh shading and ray tracing.
It’s clear from the launch event that Apple wants to place its computers on par with Windows laptops, which Microsoft has billed as “AI PCs”.
Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated that the company is making significant investments in artificial intelligence, even teasing a major announcement later this year.
It is speculated that the announcement may come during Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June, which is usually when the tech giant announces new software.
Customers Can Choose From Multiple Internal Options When Speccing Their MacBook Airs
The baseline 13-inch MacBook Air will ship with a 30W USB-C power adapter, while the higher-end versions of the laptop will come with either a 35W dual-port charger or a 70W adapter, giving customers the option to upgrade their standard 265GB storage models.
Both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air come with 8GB RAM as standard, with upgrades to 16GB and 24GB costing an extra $200 and $400, respectively. There is also the option to upgrade the base 256GB SSD storage to 512GB for $200, 1TB for $400, and 2TB for $800.
The Magic Keyboard with a full-height function row and Touch ID has been carried over from the M2 Macbook Air that Apple released in 2022. The laptops will be available in four colorways: Starlight, Midnight, Space Gray, and Silver.
M3 MacBook Air Laptops Will Be In Stores Starting March 8, 2024
Apple says the 13-inch MacBook Air will start at $1,099, while the bigger 15-inch model will cost $1,299. The 13-inch M2 MacBook Air will continue to be available at a lower price of $999.
The M3 MacBook Airs will be available for pre-order starting Monday and is expected to reach store shelves on March 8.
