On Monday, Apple introduced new MacBook Air laptops featuring the latest M3 processors, aiming to entice consumers seeking to upgrade to artificial intelligence-driven personal computers.
New MacBook Air. Image credit: Apple.
These models are available in 13-inch and 15-inch screen sizes, boasting up to a 60% improvement in speed compared to the version equipped with Apple’s M1 processor, as stated on the company’s website. They also promise up to 18 hours of battery life.
The MacBook Air featuring the M3 chip harnesses the AI capabilities of the Neural Engine, providing intelligent macOS features that boost productivity and creativity. These include potent camera features, real-time speech-to-text conversion, and visual comprehension.
Users also can leverage a wide range of apps within an extensive ecosystem that offers advanced AI functionalities. This enables tasks such as checking homework with AI Math Assistance in Goodnotes, automatically improving photos in Pixelmator Pro, and eliminating background noise from videos using CapCut.
The smaller model starts at $1,099 in the United States, while the base version of the larger MacBook Air is priced at $1,299. Both models are now available for order, with deliveries scheduled to commence later this week, according to Apple.
Since 2020, the company has utilized its own chip, having severed ties with Intel.
The introduction of AI-enabled PCs is anticipated to contribute to the recovery of the PC market in 2024, following a more than two-year post-pandemic decline. In the last reported quarter, Mac sales showed a slight increase, reaching $7.78 billion, after experiencing a one-third decline in the preceding quarter.
Written by Alius Noreika