Apple’s ultrathin MacBook Air line just got cheaper and faster.
The company announced today that it’s cutting the price of its low-cost laptops by $100 across the board, so people can pick up an 11-inch Air with 128 GB of flash storage for $899. Apple also updated the MacBook Air’s processor across the board with a new 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 chip, which users can upgrade to a 1.7 GHz model if they want more power.
Other than that, the MacBook Air is largely unchanged. Users can still purchase it in 11- or 13-inch models, with 128 or 256 GB of flash storage, and all the models come standard with 4 GB of RAM. Like the computer’s processor, users can pay to upgrade their MacBook Air’s memory and storage capacity, though neither change is particularly cheap. The 11-inch model still sports 9 hours of battery life, while the 13-inch Air offers users 12 hours of computing time.
Today’s update isn’t going to turn the Air into a powerhouse machine for people who need to run heavy loads all day. But for those who need a lightweight, medium-duty computer, today’s refresh adds a little extra power and a little less strain on their wallets.
Still, people who can wait to grab a new laptop may want to hold off on buying one of the new models. Apple may announce a MacBook Air with a Retina display later this year, if the rumors are right.
