Apple has unveiled the new MacBook Air, featuring the M4 chip, offering up to 18 hours of battery life, and a 12MP Center Stage camera — at a lower price.
The latest laptop from Apple supports up to two external displays, starts with 16GB of memory, and runs macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence. It comes in a sky blue color, alongside midnight, starlight, and silver, making it the most colorful MacBook Air lineup yet.
The starting price is $999 or $899 for education.
Laptop market conditions
The latest Canalys report said Apple shipped 23.779 million laptops in 2024 grabbing 9.3 percent share compared with 22.382 million units with 9.1 percent share in 2023.
Reuters news report has indicated that Apple’s pricing strategy – offering its AI-enabled laptop for $100 less as compared with its previous generation – will stimulate demand from laptop buysers.
“Apple’s channel strategy continues to evolve as they announced the Apple Partner Network, launching later this year. This revamped program simplifies partner tiers and aims to take a share in the Enterprise segment while providing the necessary services to handle customers,” Kieren Jessop, Analyst at Canalys, said in a note in February.
MacBook Air with M4 chip
MacBook Air with the M4 chip delivers significantly enhanced performance, making multitasking, photo and video editing, and AI-based tasks faster and more efficient. Featuring a 10-core CPU, up to a 10-core GPU, and support for up to 32GB of memory, it is up to 2x faster than the M1 model and up to 23x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air.
With up to 18 hours of battery life, Intel-based users can gain up to six additional hours of usage.
AI-driven tasks benefit from a Neural Engine that is up to 3x faster than in the M1 model.
Performance improvements include up to 4.7x faster spreadsheet calculations in Microsoft Excel, up to 8x faster video editing in iMovie, up to 3.6x faster photo editing in Adobe Photoshop, and web browsing that is up to 60 percent faster compared to a PC with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor.
AI tools
The Apple MacBook Air comes with Apple Intelligence features that enhance creativity, productivity, and user interaction. Some of the AI tools include Image Playground for generating unique visuals, Genmoji for custom emoji creation, and Writing Tools for refining text.
Siri improvements enable seamless switching between spoken and typed requests, providing step-by-step assistance for Mac tasks.
Integrated ChatGPT access within Siri and Writing Tools allows users to leverage AI expertise without an account, with built-in privacy protections ensuring that IP addresses are obscured and requests are not stored. Apple Intelligence prioritizes privacy through on-device processing, while Private Cloud Compute securely extends capabilities to more advanced AI models without storing or sharing user data.
Productivity
The latest MacBook Air features a 12MP Center Stage camera that enhances video quality and keeps users centered in the frame, making virtual meetings and FaceTime calls more dynamic. It supports Desk View, allowing users to display both themselves and a top-down view of their desk, ideal for showcasing projects or presentations.
Additionally, MacBook Air now supports up to two 6K external displays alongside its built-in Liquid Retina display, providing a seamless multi-display experience for professionals and students who need more screen space for multitasking and productivity.
Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, MagSafe charging, two Thunderbolt ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Audio and video quality are enhanced with a three-mic array and Spatial Audio-supported speakers for an immersive sound experience.
macOS Sequoia elevates the experience with iPhone Mirroring, an improved Safari browser, enhanced gaming features, and streamlined window management. The upcoming macOS Sequoia 15.4 update will simplify setup by allowing users to transfer files and settings seamlessly from their iPhone to their new MacBook Air.
Price
The new MacBook Air with M4 is available for pre-order today on Apple’s website and in the Apple Store app across 28 countries, including the U.S., with availability beginning on March 12 at Apple Stores and authorized resellers. The 13-inch model starts at $999 ($899 for education), while the 15-inch model starts at $1,199 ($1,099 for education).
Baburajan Kizhakedath
