Apple announced an updated version of its MacBook Air laptop on Monday, the first update to the popular-yet-aging device in more than 800 days.
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Apple is updating the MacBook Air for the first time in years, but it's a very minor boost (AAPL)
For the first time in more than 800 days, Apple is updating its popular-yet-aging MacBook Air laptop. But the upgrade is extremely slight.
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However, the upgrade is extremely minor: Apple only says that the 13-inch MacBook Air now starts with a 1.8 GHz processor. Previously, the Air started with a 1.6 GHz processor. So it should be a little bit faster.
Apple did not say the processor boost includes a jump to Intel's latest "Kaby Lake" generation of processors, however, as it did with the MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook on Monday.
Instead, the MacBook Air will stick with Intel's years-old "Broadwell" chips, which are well behind the latest generation in terms of overall performance and battery efficiency.
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Beyond that, Apple did not announce any changes to the new MacBook Air’s display or general design, so the rest of the laptop is about the same.
Nevertheless, compared to other Apple laptops, the MacBook Air remains the most affordable of the bunch. It still starts at $999 — which gets you the older Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage — and goes up to $1,549 as you max out the specs.
But with the MacBook providing a more svelte design, and with Apple slashing the entry price of the 13-inch MacBook Pro (sans Touch Bar) to $1,299 on Monday, it seems clearer that the company is ready to phase out its long-popular notebook — regardless of how popular it may continue to be.
The updated MacBook Air is available to order through Apple's online store now. Apple says retail availbility will begin on June 7.
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