Apple launches new MacBook Air with Retina Display

Apple has launched an all-new 13-inch MacBook Air with Retina display, Touch ID, the latest processors and an even more portable design. The new MacBook Air is available in three colours — Gold, Space Gray and Silver. The Retina-display Mac includes an Apple-designed keyboard, a spacious Force Touch trackpad, faster SSDs, wide stereo sound, the Apple T2 Security Chip and Thunderbolt 3.

Retina Display comes to MacBook Air

The new MacBook Air features a 13.3-inch Retina display with over 4 million pixels of resolution and 48 per cent more colour than the previous generation. The new MacBook Air also includes a built-in FaceTime HD camera, which is good for Group FaceTime calls as well as a three microphone array for better sound quality when making calls and improved voice recognition for Siri.

Featuring Touch ID and Apple T2 security chip

MacBook Air now includes Touch ID — a fingerprint sensor built right into the keyboard — which allows you to instantly unlock your MacBook Air, authenticate your identity, and make fast, simple and secure purchases using Apple Pay, as per the company. To support Touch ID, MacBook Air comes with the Apple T2 Security Chip. The T2 also features an SSD controller with on-the-fly data encryption for everything stored on the SSD. These allow MacBook Air to offer the most secure boot process and most secure storage of any notebook. T2 also features an always-on processor that enables “Hey Siri,” which lets you make requests to Siri with just your voice for things like finding files or opening an app.

Latest generation Keyboard and Trackpad

MacBook Air also features the third-generation Apple-designed keyboard for more precise and responsive typing. Each key is individually backlit using low-power LEDs. The new MacBook Air also includes Force Touch trackpad, which delivers pressure-sensing capabilities and haptic feedback, and is 20 per cent larger than on the previous generation MacBook Ai.

Audio experience

With more advanced speakers and audio processing technology, MacBook Air is claimed to deliver higher quality audio experience and wide stereo playback that makes watching movies and listening to music more immersive than ever. The speakers are 25 per cent louder with two times more bass than the previous generation for more dynamic range and fuller sound.1

Performance to power your daily activities

The new MacBook Air features an 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor, Intel UHD Graphics and faster 2133 MHz system memory up to 16GB, delivering the performance you need for everyday activities like organizing your photos, browsing the web, creating presentations or viewing and editing videos, Apple said. MacBook Air also features SSDs up to 1.5TB in capacity, that is said to be up to 60 per cent faster than the previous generation and make launching apps and opening files feel snappier and more responsive.

Thunderbolt 3

MacBook Air now comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, which allow you to charge your notebook, quickly transfer data via USB and Thunderbolt, output video in three formats and connect to a whole host of devices including external storage, docks for additional ports, 4K and 5K displays, and eGPUs for faster graphics. It’s the most versatile port ever. With over 700 Thunderbolt 3 devices in the ecosystem and growing, along with thousands of USB-C devices, MacBook Air allows you to take advantage of a whole new generation of accessories.

Portable design

The new MacBook Air is claimed to deliver up to 12 hours of battery life during wireless web use and up to 13 hours of iTunes movie playback. Featuring a significantly smaller footprint, the new MacBook Air takes up 17 per cent less volume, is 10 per cent thinner measuring just .61 inches at its thickest point, and at just 2.75 pounds is a quarter pound lighter than the previous generation.

macOS Mojave

All new Macs come with macOS Mojave, the latest version of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, with new features inspired by pros but designed for everyone. In macOS Mojave, a new Dark Mode transforms the desktop with a new look that puts the focus on user content. The new Stacks feature organises messy desktops by automatically stacking files into neat groups. Familiar iOS apps, including News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home, are now available on the Mac for the first time. FaceTime now adds support for group calling, and the Mac App Store gets a full redesign featuring rich editorial content and the addition of apps from top developers, including Microsoft and Adobe.

Pricing and availability

Starting at $1,199, the new MacBook Air is available to order on apple.com. It will be available in Apple retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers starting Wednesday, November 7. The new graphics configuration option for MacBook Pro will be available to order on apple.com and in Apple retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers starting Wednesday, November 14.