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Apple updates MacBook Air and entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro

The new 13-inch MacBook Air picks up a True Tone Retina display. (Source: Apple)
The new 13-inch MacBook Air picks up a True Tone Retina display. (Source: Apple)
Apple has updated its two entry-level MacBooks with both the MacBook Air and the 13-inch non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro. Both come with the fourth time revised butterfly keyboard mechanism as well as some other substantial updates along with price cuts to boost back to school sales.

Apple has given school students going back to school a good reason to pester their parents for a new MacBook. Both the MacBook Air and the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro have been updated with the fourth iteration of Apple's troublesome butterfly keyboard mechanism, which presumably should make them more reliable. Thus far, we haven't heard any complaints from users of the latest 15-inch MacBook Pros that feature the revamped mechanism, so fingers crossed on that front.

The MacBook Air continues with its 8th gen Intel dual-core Core i5 chip but gets an upgraded Retina display that now comes with Apple's True Tone technology which adjusts color temperature according to ambient light. In addition to the upgraded keyboard, Apple has also given it a price cut of US$100. This brings the starting price down to US$1,099 and just US$999 for students.

The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro hasn't been updated since 2017. It joins the rest of its family line in gaining Apple's Touch Bar meaning that all of Apple's MacBook Pro line now includes the feature, for better or worse. It also gains a decent chip upgrade moving to a new Coffee Lake quad-core Core i5 chip clocked at 1.4GHz but which can Turbo boost to 3.9GHz for short bursts. It still sticks with just the two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. It is now retailing from US$1,299 for a 128 GB model or US$1,499 for a 256 GB variant.

With Apple claiming a staggering 60 percent of college students in the US own a MacBook, its new more attractive pricing and specifications for the two models is set to ensure that continues. Additionally, Apple is also offering a set of free Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones that retail for US$299 with any MacBook purchase as part of its current back to school bonus program.

The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro gets a new quad-core chip. (Source: Apple)
The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro gets a new quad-core chip. (Source: Apple)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2019 07 > Apple updates MacBook Air and entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro
Sanjiv Sathiah, 2019-07-10 (Update: 2019-07-10)