Apple unveils M4 MacBook Air with a price cut

Apple has unveiled the M4 MacBook Air with a smaller price tag and a powerful new M4 chip.

Apple has announced the M4 MacBook Air.

The new laptop – which comes in both a 13-inch and a 15-inch size – will include the Cupertino company’s new M4 chip, which Apple has said will be up to two times faster than the M1 MacBook Air from 2020, and up to 23 times faster than Intel-based MacBook Airs.

The efficiency of the chip – which features a 10-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU and either 16GB or 32GB of unified memory – will also translate to up to 18 hours of battery life.

The laptop has been built for Apple’s artificial intelligence (AI) model Apple Intelligence, and will be up to three times faster than the M1 MacBook Air at AI-based tasks.

Aside from performance, the M4 MacBook Air will include a new 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, which will automatically centre the frame during video calls.

As well as a new Sky Blue colour, Apple also confirmed the M4 MacBook Air would be $100 cheaper than what the M3 laptop launched at, and will now start at $999 for 256GB of storage and 16GB of unified memory for the 13-inch model, while the 15-inch device begins at $1,199.

The M4 MacBook Air gets cheaper still for those in education, with the 13-inch model getting knocked down to $899 for students.

In a statement, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said: “MacBook Air is by far the world’s most popular laptop, and today we’re giving everyone even more reasons to love it, including a big boost in performance with the M4 chip, a new Center Stage camera, and a beautiful new Sky Blue color.

“Combined with its thin and light, fanless design, all-day battery life, and the incredible capabilities of macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence, MacBook Air is unlike any other laptop.

“And with a new lower starting price of $999, MacBook Air delivers more value to consumers than ever before, making this the perfect moment to upgrade or experience the Mac for the first time.”