Apple have prepared the ground with a new offering for 2015 of the upgraded, lighter and faster MacBook Air. Whilst the MacBook Air is competing with its own brothers and sisters, the MacBook and MacBook Pro, it does have some features all of its own.
You may be biased and love Apple products, you may be a Windows veteran, having never used a Mac, or you may have been thinking about getting Mac laptop for some time but get a little overwhelmed by the ethereal environment of the Apple retailer. Let us take a look at what the new MacBook Air has to offer.
It can be a challenge to change up your technology, so let’s translate into simple terms what the new MacBook Air has to offer. Apple said the following.
“The updated 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air now feature fifth generation Intel Core processors up to 2.2 GHz, with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.2 GHz, integrated Intel HD Graphics 6000, and Thunderbolt 2, delivering up to 20Gbps, twice the bandwidth of the previous generation. The 13-inch MacBook Air also features faster flash storage that is up to two times faster than the previous generation.”
Translated, this means that the little MacBook Air can punch way above its weight, with a fast thinking ability to make decisions quickly. This means you will see much less of the little spinning wheel, your pictures will look sharp and clear, and movies will load quickly and run smoothly with less little fuzzy squares. The MacBook Air can also save big files at a pace, making it quicker if you’re working on documents that need editing and saving, like a presentation with image and video files for example.
MacBook Pro and MacBook Air get a boost thanks to faster new chips: http://t.co/j8DGDKweM1 pic.twitter.com/xyW1SJd4do
— Engadget (@engadget) March 15, 2015
Sound good? Onto the software that lets you do the things you want to do. Apple said the following.
“Every new Mac comes with OS X Yosemite, a powerful new version of OS X, redesigned and refined with a fresh, modern look, powerful new apps and amazing Continuity features that make working across your Mac and iOS devices more fluid than ever.”
Translated this means, the initial page you see is easier to understand with simpler navigation. The MacBook Air looks very sexy as all Apple products, but most important, if you have other technology like an iPad, or iPhone, MacBook Air will do the hard work for you, making them all work together.
Let’s look at the toys you get with the MacBook Air to make stuff with.
“iMovie, GarageBand, iPhoto, and Pages, Numbers and Keynote come free with every new Mac. iMovie lets you easily create beautiful movies, you can use GarageBand to make new music or learn to play piano or guitar and you can edit and share your best shots with iPhoto. Pages, Numbers and Keynote, make it easy to create, edit and share stunning documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iCloud let you create a document on iPhone or iPad, edit it on your Mac and collaborate with friends, even if they are on a PC.”
Finally, lets have a look at the price and the added extras that might just need a further translation, Apple said the following.
“The 11-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.6 GHz processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at £749 inc VAT, and 256GB of flash storage starting at £899 inc VAT.”
So, this MacBook Air is pretty fast and gives you a large memory to store your files. If you have a large music collection, like to keep videos on your MacBook Air and like your photos on hand, then you might want to opt for the one with the bigger memory at 256GB. Both of these MacBook Airs will pretty much outperform most Windows based laptops and are ideal for different kinds of use, both work and play. You can run your small business or manage your life with this MacBook Air.
“The 13-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.6 GHz processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at £849 inc VAT and 256GB of flash storage starting at £999 inc VAT.”
“Configure-to-order options include a 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.2 GHz, up to 8GB of memory and up to 512GB flash storage.”
These MacBook Air options are the same in terms of power and functionality, but they have a bigger screen. You can give all of these MacBook Air options a turbo charge, adding additional faster memory to work the software and a bigger area to store your files and with the addition of faster operating time. Basically, you wait less for the MacBook Air to do stuff.
Apple have just upgraded most of their products so the MacBook Air has the latest technology, so you can feel secure that you will get good value for money. The Macbook Air is not the fastest or most powerful of the MacBook family, but it can hold its own, with good looks, smart technology, and a price that appeals.
[Apple Press release/ Juriaan Bosman /Apple Press Room, Image Credit/ Wikimedia Commons]