HomeWinBuzzer NewsApple Unveils Revamped MacBook Air as Direct Competitor to the Surface Laptop...

Apple Unveils Revamped MacBook Air as Direct Competitor to the Surface Laptop 2

Apple has introduced a new MacBook Air, the first replacement for the model in several years. The new device is more powerful, secure, and smaller.

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At its second fall hardware event today, finally raised the curtain on the new MacBook Air. A device that has been expected for years as finally arrived. Indeed, this is the first significant refresh of Cupertino's portable PC in years. It arrives at the right time, just as 's Surface products make their mark.

In recent years, Microsoft has taken plenty of thunder from Apple with its Surface products. The Surface Pro has brought sleek designs, high-end hardware, and excellent performance to Windows. Sure, the platform always had those things, but Surface devices showed Windows could match Apple in all departments.

In fact, the Surface range is a contributing revenue stream for Microsoft these days. All this means that the MacBook Air has looked dated while Apple seemed to ignore releasing a refresh. That changed today with the all-new MacBook Air and the early signs are it is a potent Surface Laptop 2/Surface Pro 6 competitor.

To highlight how long its been between MacBook Air releases, the previous model was still running fifth-general Broadwell CPUs. Luckily, the new offering as something more up-to-date, the 8th generation Amber Lake chips to be exact. These are dual-core 5W and are available up to Core i7.

Apple has also splashed a Retina Display on the front of the laptop. This replaces the older 1440 x 900-pixel panel with a screen with over four million pixels. That's a lot for a 13-3-inch display and means 48% more colors. Stereo speakers have also been added this time around, so expect the media experience to be excellent.

Design and Price

Apple rarely deviate far from a set aesthetic, and the new MacBook Air is no different. That said, it does replace the outgoing aluminum bezel with a thinner black on, allowing for a sleeker front-facing design. Overalls, the body of the new device is 17% smaller than the previous model and it is also a quarter of a pound lighter.

Cupertino says the device is available for pre-order today, starting at $1,199 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD version. The new MacBook Air will begin shipping on November 7.

Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about all things tech for more than five years. He is following Microsoft closely to bring you the latest news about Windows, Office, Azure, Skype, HoloLens and all the rest of their products.

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