The American technology company “Apple” officially launched the laptop computer “MacBook Air”, redesigned with a new, faster chip and a significantly improved screen.
The company revealed the new device during its “Annual Developers Conference” WWDC 2022 (WWDC 2022).
The redesigned device, which has not been updated since late 2020, now has a second-generation Apple Silicon chip, called the M2, and a fanless chassis. The new computer is available in four colors, and a new high-resolution 13.6-inch Liquid Retina screen.
As for the design of the new MacBook Air, it follows that of the current MacBook Pro 14 and 16 models, which were released late last year.
Like the two models mentioned, the new laptop has a completely square look instead of the gently curved corners of the previous MacBook Air.
However, the new model did not include all the additional ports for the 2021 Pro models, and it also does not support an SD card slot and an HDMI output for an external monitor, and only two USB-C Thunderbolt ports. (USB-C Thunderbolt). The new laptop supports the MagSafe wireless charging standard.
The computer is only 11.3 mm thick, weighs only about 1.2 kilograms, and comes in silver, gray, starburst, and black color options.
The device’s new 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display is 25% brighter than its predecessor, with a peak brightness of 500 nits and support for one billion colors.
The laptop supports an updated 1080p camera connected to a 3-microphone array and a 4-speaker audio system.
The company said that this combined system aims to improve video calls, explaining that it also supports the Dolby Atmos “spatial voice” feature.
The device has a “Magic” keyboard, which in turn contains a full row of function keys with “Touch ID” feature, in addition to a large “Force Touch” control panel.
Apple noted that with the new M2 chip, for example, Final Cut Pro video-editing software is about 40% faster than MacBook Air powered by the M1 chip. Photoshop is 20% faster.
The company says that the battery life in the new device reaches 18 hours with continuous playback of videos and hard work.
The device comes with an optional 67W power adapter that can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes.
Pricing for the redesigned MacBook Air starts at $1,199 for 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage.
As for the version of 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage space, it comes at a price of 1499 dollars. The old MacBook Air, powered by the old M1 chip, will still cost $999.