Apple updates MacBook Air with fourth-generation Intel ‘Haswell’ processors

29 Apr 2014

Apple MacBook Air notebook computers

Apple has rolled out a new line of updated MacBook Air notebook computers sporting lower prices starting at €925, as well as fourth-generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 ‘Haswell’ processors.

The new MacBook Air notebooks feature fast flash storage, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, up to 12 hours of battery life and Apple’s iLife and iWork apps.

“With MacBook Air starting at €929, there’s no reason to settle for anything less than a Mac,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide marketing.

“Macs have never been more popular, and today we’ve boosted the performance and lowered the price of MacBook Air so even more people can experience the perfect everyday notebook.”

Energy efficiency and style

According to Apple, power-efficient fourth-generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors work in conjunction with OS X Mavericks to give the 13-inch MacBook Air up to 12 hours of battery life and the 11-inch MacBook Air up to nine hours of battery life.

iTunes movie playback times increase to 12 hours on the 13-inch notebook and 9 hours on the 11-inch notebook, adding up to two hours of playback time to the updated MacBook Air.

The latest operating system, Mac OS X Mavericks, introduces more than 200 new features, including core technologies designed specifically for notebooks to boost performance and improve battery life.

The 11-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.4 GHz processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at €929 including VAT (€755.28 excluding VAT), and 256GB of flash storage starting at €1,129 including VAT (€917.89 excluding VAT).

The 13-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.4 GHz processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at €1,029 including VAT (€836.59 excluding VAT), and 256GB of flash storage starting at €1,229 including VAT (€999.19 excluding VAT).

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com