MANILA, Philippines – Apple has finally given its popular MacBook Air series a much-needed update 3 years since they launched a 12-inch Air back in 2015. The most exciting change? The Air now comes with a Retina display, Apple’s line of displays found across their devices that are much sharper than standard screens. 

The Air’s Retina display has a resolution of 2,560 by 1,600 pixels, measures 13.3 inches, and features 48% more colors and wider viewing angles than the previous MacBook Air. The Air was also refreshed last year but they were mostly minor CPU and graphics upgrades.

What’s more surprising about the Retina upgrade is that the Air had been using the same 1,440 x 900 display since 2010, and it’s only now that Apple is giving the Air the Retina treatment. The bezels have been reduced greatly too, doing away with the aluminum frame, replacing it with a black, low-profile look.

Apple also touts that the Air is now 100% made from recycled aluminum, the first Apple laptop to get the treatment. 

The Air now also has Touch ID, Apple’s fingerprint security access technology, with the sensor placed on the upper right portion of the keyboard. Touch ID allows user authentication for computer access and for verifying identity when purchasing items using Apple Pay. It is powered by Apple’s own T2 security chip, which is a chip that’s dedicated to security functions and always-on Hey Siri listening.

The Air also sports a new keyboard whose keys are 4 times more stable than the previous generation, and a new trackpad with Force Touch, which lets users click on any part of the pad and features haptic feedback. The pad is also 20% larger than the previous generation. The speakers are also said to be 25% louder with twice more bass power and a wider stereo sound. Size-wise, the new Air has 17% less volume, is 10% thinner, and at 2.75 pounds is 0.25 pounds lighter than the previous generation. 

Ports are streamlined, with the laptop just coming with 2 Thunderbolt ports, which can be used to power the device, connect USB devices, and connect a 5K display or an external GPU enclosure, as seen below. An 8th-generation Intel dual-core i5 CPU powers the device, and it can carry up to 16GB RAM, twice as much as the previous generation. It can also support faster solid-state drives up to 1.5TB. 

The new MacBook Air’s price starts at $1,199, with availability in the US starting on November 7. Apple also announced a new Mac mini, featuring upgraded specs and 100% recycled aluminum body like the new Air. – Rappler.com