Apple has chosen WWDC week to announce an update to its MacBook
Air line, with the inclusion of Ivy Bridge processors with improved
integrated graphics chief among the upgrades
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Apple has chosen WWDC week to announce an update to its MacBook Air
line. It may lack the Retina display of its newly upgraded,
headline-grabbing cousin, the
MacBook Pro,
but the 2012 Air sees significant advances too. An upgrade from Sandy
Bridge to Ivy Bridge processors with improved integrated graphics is
chief among the upgrades, and onboard memory has also received a boost.
What hasn't changed is the ultra-thin form factor and (with the thick
end of the wedge maxing out at 0.68 in or 17 mm), weighing in at 2.38
pounds (1.08 kg) for the 11-inch model and 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg) for the
13-inch. Battery performance remains as is (which is no bad thing),
with a touted 5 and 7 hours for the smaller and larger models
respectively while wirelessly browsing the web.
What's new is an upgrade from Sandy Bridge to the faster Ivy Bridge
processor, which brings with it a switch up from Intel HD Graphics 3000
to Intel HD Graphics 4000. This should bring with it a noticeable
performance boost, though its doubtful that hardcore gamers will be
rushing to buy the new Airs as portable gaming rigs this year.
The included random access memory allowance has doubled from 2 to 4
GB (configurable to 8 GB), and has been upgraded to lower voltage
1600-MHz DDR3L SDRAM. Flash storage remains at 64 GB and 128 GB in the
entry-level 11- and 13-inch models respectively, though this is now
configurable up to 512 GB.
Connectivity sees a significant boost with the inclusion of two USB
3.0 ports in addition to the Thunderbolt port. The USB 3.0 standard
allows data transfer more than ten times the speed of USB 2.0. The power
connection has been upgraded to Apple's MagSafe 2, which is simply an
even smaller version of the MagSafe port that lets the power cable
disconnected safely in the event of jarring cable snag, preventing
unwelcome MacBook/floor interface scenarios.
Though the 11-inch Air still starts at US$999, the 13-inch has
dropped $100 to $1199, making it all the more compelling to
laptop-hunters on the prowl for an ultrabook.
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