Image: Apple.
Apple yesterday unveiled two new MacBooks equipped with the Apple M3 chip. In appearance, the two models are identical to their predecessors: same screen, same case, same colors (Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, Silver). With a big difference: Apple’s latest in-house processor, the M3, for improved performance and better energy efficiency.
The two new MacBooks will also cost the same as their previous versions: the 13-inch MacBook Air is sold from 1,299 euros and the 15-inch MacBook Air from 1,599 euros. Both models have been available for pre-order since yesterday, and will be delivered and available in stores from this Friday, March 8.
“MacBook Air is our most popular and beloved Mac, and more customers choose it than any other laptop. Today, it is even better thanks to the M3 chip and its new features,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s SVP of global marketing, argued in a press release issued this Monday.
MacBook Air M3
The big novelty of these two models is located above all under the hood: it is the Apple M3 chip. This 3-nanometer processor designed by Apple has an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. It works with unified memory of up to 24 GB, allowing the new models to be up to 60% faster than their counterparts equipped with M1 chips and up to 13 times faster than Intel MacBook Airs with the best configurations, underlines the apple brand.
The M3 chip also allows new MacBooks to support new rendering features like mesh shading and hardware-accelerated ray tracing, two features of particular interest to 3D graphics and game design professionals.
As for artificial intelligence, the M3 chip includes a 16-core neural engine that should improve machine learning on the MacBook Air. These efficiency gains can then be exploited to improve several services, including video calls, live subtitling, translation, but also more generally accessibility features – among others.
Other new features
Regarding the rest of the technical characteristics, both new models are equipped with Liquid Retina displays with a brightness of up to 500 nits. It is now possible to extend the screen onto two external monitors when the cover is closed – a particularly important new feature for professionals, content creators and more generally anyone who needs displays in their work multiple.
MacBook Air M3s also support Wi-Fi 6E – their predecessors offered Wi-Fi 6 – for faster, more reliable download speeds.
The MacBook Air M2, released in 2022, is still available from 1,199 euros. Or around 100 euros less than its successor.
Source: ZDNet.com