Apple launched the first MacBook Air with a Retina display last year, and now the company is introducing an updated version with support for Apple’s True Tone display technology. That basically means the new MacBook Air can adjust brightness and color based on ambient lighting conditions.
Apple is also giving its entry-level MacBook a price cut: the 2019 MacBook Air sells for $1099 and up (or $999 and up for college students).
Most other specs remain unchanged, which means you get a low-power dual-core Intel Core i5 Amber Lake-Y processor with Intel UHD 617 graphics, a 13.3 inch, 2560 x 1600 pixel display (for 227 pixels per inch), a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a 49.9 Wh battery and a 30W USB-C power adapter.
The entry-level model has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of PCIe solid state storage, but the MacBook Air can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
It measures 12″ x 8.4″ x 0.6″ and weighs about 2.8 pounds and the notebook features two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a 3.5mm audio jack.
Along with launching the new MacBook Air, Apple has stopped selling the 12-inch MacBook altogether as well as previous-gen, non-Retina MacBook Air models.
Some folks aren’t particularly happy about that, since the previous-gen, non-Retina MacBook Air was the last Apple laptop standing to feature a non-Butterfly-switch keyboard.
Well, the “old” version of the MBA 13″ maxed out at 1.5 TB SSD, without a 1 TB option, which I always found very odd, because it’s a bit of a strange jump. So the 1 TB is new.
“Some folks aren’t particularly happy about that, since the previous-gen, non-Retina MacBook Air was the last Apple laptop standing to feature a non-Butterfly-switch keyboard.”
I almost bought one for that very reason. But I’m glad I didn’t.