Updated MacBook Airs introduced with new starting price of $899

Updated MacBook Airs feature latest Haswell processors and $899 starting price tag.

Omar Qudsi, Published 04/29/2014

Just like we heard yesterday, Apple has gone out and updated their MacBook Air lineup, doing so without much fanfare. Unfortunately, no Retina displays were included with this go, though the update does add a bit of power while simultaneously bringing down the starting price tag.

Both the 11.6" and 13.3" MacBook Airs have been updated to the latest Intel Haswell processors, now starting off with a 1.4GHz dual-core i5 CPU. The jump in power isn't likely to be noticeable when compared to the previous 1.3GHz CPU, but it does add some battery life, with the 13.3" model sustaining 12 hours of iTunes playback rather than 10.

Of course, the biggest and most welcome change is the price drop, with the 11.6" model now starting at $899 and the 13.3" model starting at $999. This could also be good news for Retina fans, as it gives Apple flexibility in introducing a Retina MacBook Air model that's not the same cost as the Retina MacBook Pro.

Source(s)

9to5Mac: http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/29/apples-macbook-air-lineup-updated-with-new-haswell-processors-now-starts-at-899/

Apple: https://www.apple.com

+ Show Press Release

Press Release

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple® today updated MacBook Air® with faster processors and lower prices, making the perfect everyday notebook an even better value. Now starting at $899, MacBook Air features powerful processors, fast flash storage, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, up to 12 hours of battery life and Apple’s iLife® and iWork® apps, giving you everything you need to handle all your work, all day long.

“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.”

“With MacBook Air starting at $899, 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.”

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 9 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.* Flash storage makes MacBook Air extremely responsive, whether you are working on presentations, streaming movies and music from iTunes or organizing your photo library.

iLife and iWork come free with every new Mac®. iLife lets you edit your favorite videos with iMovie®, create new music or learn to play piano or guitar with GarageBand®, and organize, edit and share your best shots with iPhoto®. iWork productivity apps, Pages®, Numbers® and Keynote®, make it easy to create, edit and share stunning documents, spreadsheets and presentations. iWork for iCloud® beta lets you create a document on iPhone® or iPad®, edit it on your Mac and collaborate with friends, even if they are on a PC.

Every Mac comes with OS X, the world’s most advanced operating system, which is designed for ease of use even while taking full advantage of the powerful technologies built into every Mac. The latest version, OS X Mavericks, introduces more than 200 new features, including core technologies designed specifically for notebooks to boost performance and improve battery life. Mavericks introduces amazing apps like iBooks®, which gives you instant access to your iBooks library, more than two million titles in the iBooks Store™, and works seamlessly across your Apple devices. The new Maps app allows you to look up directions on your Mac and send them right to your iPhone or iPad, and with iCloud, whatever you do in apps like Mail, Contacts and Calendar also appears on your other devices.

Pricing & Availability

MacBook Air is available today through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. 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 $899 (US), and 256GB of flash storage starting at $1,099 (US). 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 $999 (US), and 256GB of flash storage starting at $1,199 (US). Configure-to-order options include a 1.7 GHz Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, up to 8GB of memory and up to 512GB flash storage. Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at www.apple.com/macbook-air.

*The Wireless Web protocol testing was conducted by Apple in April 2014 using preproduction MacBook Air configurations. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. For more information visit www.apple.com/macbook-air.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple’s PR website (www.apple.com/pr), or call Apple’s Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.

© 2014 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, MacBook Air, iLife, iWork, OS X, iTunes, iMovie, GarageBand, iPhoto, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iCloud, iPhone, iPad, iBooks and iBooks Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.