Apple launched two new computers today: the MacBook Air (M4) and Mac Studio (M4 Max and M3 Ultra). Pre-orders start today and the computers ship on March 12th.
Below is everything you need to know about the new laptop and desktop, and how they differ from previous versions.
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Apple MacBook Air (M4)
The new MacBook Air (M4) looks almost identical to the previous version. That’s not a bad thing — the MacBook Air is one of the best laptops, especially for anyone on-the-go (think frequent flyers and college students). The two biggest changes are internal: the laptop has Apple’s latest M4 chip inside, which should lead to improved all-around performance, and it has a new Center Stage webcam that can automatically keep you centered in the frame during calls.
The new laptop comes in two sizes: 13-inch and 15-inch. A welcome change is price: the new models start at $999 and $1,199 respectively, that’s $100 less than the starting price of the previous version.
Apple Mac Studio
Apple also launched new versions of its powerful Mac Studio desktop computer: the Mac Studio (M4 Max) and Mac Studio (M3 Ultra). These are desktop computers well-suited to professional creative workflows, with much more robust performance than any MacBook Air can offer.
Both new versions have more powerful processors than before and have faster Thunderbolt 5 ports built-in for quicker data transfer. The M4 Max version starts at $1,999 while the M3 Ultra version starts at $3,999.
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I am a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology including recent stories on smartwatches, cameras, laptops and more. For this piece, I confirmed details about the new Apple launches in press releases and product info pages.
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