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The rumor was right. The new generation MacBook Air will be pre-orderable from July 8 and will be officially marketed a week later, starting at 1,499 euros.
Since Dr. Strange roams the streets of New York and the multiverse, it’s hard to be sure of anything. On June 6, Apple announced two new MacBooks. The first already available is a 13-inch Pro model whose design remains resolutely identical to that of the previous generation, and whose main and only novelty is the integration of an M2. A good point that still allows it to break autonomy records in the ultraportable category according to our tests.
The second is the MacBook Air. Best-selling in the family of Apple laptops, it is entitled to a complete overhaul of its design, with an aesthetic similar to those of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros introduced at the end of last year. Obviously thinner, at 1.13 cm thick, it manages to be rather light (at 1.24 Kg), despite its aluminum casing, and it also proves very attractive in the hand – according to our brief meeting in Cupertino.
Until now, Apple had just indicated that its historic ultraportable would be available in July, without further details. Rumors had suggested that it would be available on July 15. We have to admit that they were right. The Cupertino giant has just confirmed that its MacBook Air M2 will be available from July 8 for pre-order, for an official launch on July 15.
A note on configurations
For the record, the MacBook Air M2 offers a slightly larger panel than the previous generation thanks to its new design. The diagonal is now 13.6 inches, against 13.3 inches so far. The panel, Liquid Retina, is given to be brighter and to display up to a billion colors. Its camera finally abandons HD 720p for Full HD 1080p.
The MacBook Air M2 is offered in two versions. The first is equipped with an M2 with 8 CPU cores and 8 GPU cores, the second is distinguished by offering two additional GPU cores. Both configurations come with 8 GB of RAM by default. Recall that the first model of the second generation of the Apple Silicon SoC for Mac is capable of managing up to 24 GB of unified RAM, compared to 16 for the previous generation.
And on the prices…
Finally, let’s talk about prices, which have been significantly increased compared to the previous generation. The first MacBook Air M2, sold from 1,499 euros, is equipped with 256 GB of SSD storage, while the second model, marketed at 1,849 euros, benefits from 512 GB. The question now is whether the performance in reading and writing will be as low on entry-level models as they are on the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Apple has indeed decided to replace the two 128 GB modules with a single 256 GB one, depriving its devices of an appreciable RAID 0 effect.
Anyway, the MacBook Air will be available in four finishes. The classic silver and space gray, of course, but also two newcomers, starlight and midnight.