Apple updates MacBook and MacBook Air lineup
Featured
Apple has given the MacBook and MacBook Air lineup a bit of a performance boost.
The MacBook has been updated with sixth-generation dual-core Intel Core M Skylake processors with speeds up to 1.3 GHz (with Turbo Boost that's up to 3.1 GHz), which is faster than what the MacBook was kitted out previously, but still a ways behind the Core-i chips found in other Macs.
These new processors should, on paper at any rate, offer double the performance of the old hardware.
The new processors are complemented with faster 1866 MHz RAM, and a new Intel HD Graphics 515 graphics chip, which Apple claims offers a 25 percent performance boost compared to the older hardware.
There's also an updated PCI-e flash drive, and a battery life bump to 11 hours of wireless web browsing.
The updated entry-level 12-inch MacBook with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD still retails for $1,299, while the Core M5 version still features 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD is still $1,599.
And for those of you who like to color-coordinate, there's a new rose-gold finish MacBook that perfectly matches the rose gold iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
What hasn't changed is that the MacBook still ships with a single USB-C port. If you were hoping for a second port, you're out of luck.
On the MacBook Air front, these laptops now all ship with 8GB of RAM as standard. Previously they were kitted out with only 4GB, with 8GB being an optional upgrade that previously cost an extra $100.
See also: