The MacBook Air receives its first serious update in three years
Apple has just announced a refresh of the MacBook Air, bringing Retina display, a thinner bezel, Touch ID and USB Type-C ports to proceedings.
Tim Cook introduced the new light 13.3in laptop saying that the company had listened to feedback from fans of the series and introduced a Retina display for the first time. That means four times the resolution of its predecessor for a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600.
Elsewhere, the laptop has Touch ID built into the keyboard, for better security, and the ability to pay for things online using just a fingerprint scan on Apple Pay. Improvements have also been made elsewhere on a backlit keyboard that Apple says offers “four times the stability” of its predecessor.
Given the Air hasn’t had a serious update since 2015, so as you might imagine the remaining specifications got a lift too: a 1.6GHz 8th-generation i5 processor is backed by 8GB of RAM, and the battery should offer 12 hours’ worth of web browsing, or 13 of media consumption.
Despite this, it’s lost a little weight since its last outing, with 17% less volume. That means a device that’s 15.6mm thin and 2.75lbs – not as thin as some of its rivals, but still a slim device. For the first time, it uses 100% recycled aluminium, helping the company push its green credentials.
The device is available to preorder today, and will go on sale on 7 November, starting at $1,199/£1,199.
Source: expertreviews.co.uk
