Apple launched its latest Macbook Airs on Wednesday. The tech giant unveiled its updated notebook models of 13.3 and11.6-inches to a great fanfare. The revamped MacBook Air models are much ahead than the last-generation ultra-thin laptop and the iPad.
Its sleek, metallic design leaves most of its rivals in the ultra-portable laptop category looking like misshapen lumps of plastic. Unfortunately, this streamlined design has always come with a pretty hefty price tag even by Apple’s standards, while its performance has historically been little better than that of an entry-level laptop costing half the price. This fourth-generation model is still expensive, but Apple is at last starting to deliver significant performance improvements.
While it updated the latest Macbook Airs, Apple favored a flash storage built into the motherboard instead of a hard drive. On the first look of the new models experts noted that both MacBook models are thinner than what Apple offered before, 0.68 inches at their thickest. New ones have shortened 0.11 inches than the last generation models which ranged from 0.76 inches to 0.16. According to tech experts the new MacBook models are also lighter. While the 11.6-inch model weighs just 2.3 pounds, the latest 13-inch model weighs 2.9, a single point lighter than old one of 3 pounds.
And now, pushing the performance limits of ultraportable notebooks, it features a faster 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 1066MHz frontside bus, 2GB of DDR3 memory, and 6MB of L2 cache, so you can be as productive on the road as in the office. Offering ample storage, MacBook Air comes with either a 128GB solid-state drive that uses less power and provides enhanced durability.
Its advanced NVIDIA processor brings you amazing, high-speed graphics, delivering a graphics performance boost up to 6x that of the original model. Unlike other ultraportables, MacBook Air doesn’t compromise on features users care most about: the display and the keyboard. It includes a bright, 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, a full-size backlit keyboard, a spacious Multi-Touch trackpad, and a built-in iSight camera. Engineered for the wireless world, MacBook Air also comes with 802.11n Wi-Fi,4 Bluetooth 2.1, and Remote Disc to deliver unparalleled wireless versatility.
There are a few other enhancements as well. The screen resolution has been given a boost from 1,280 x 800 to 1,440 x 900, and the weedy mono speaker of the previous model has been replaced by a more robust set of stereo speakers. We were also pleased to see that the MacBook Air finally gains a second USB port, along with an SD card reader.
Announcing the launch of updated Macbook Airs, CEO Steve Jobs disclosed that “We think it’s the future of notebooks.” During his address in Back to the Mac press event Jobs also added that “These are areas where you don’t want to sacrifice.”
And after all Apple’s this smallest and thinnest laptop, MacBook Air(11-inch) costs you $1,199. Expensive Hah?
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