On Monday, Apple announced a new version of the MacBook Air at the annual WWDC developer conference.
The MacBook Air is Apple best-selling laptop, and the new design will boost Mac sales in the coming quarters. In recent years, the Mac line has seen strong growth – shipments are up about 28% in 2021, according to Canalys, compared to just under 15% for the market as a whole.
Overall, Apple’s Mac line is seeing an increase in sales, both because the pandemic is forcing people to buy laptops to commute to work or school from home and because Apple is transitioning its computers to use its chips instead of Intel, which significantly extends battery life. From the computer.
The new MacBook Air remains a slim and light laptop, weighing 2.7 pounds, but has a new look with a consistent thickness instead of the sharper design it’s been known for in recent years. Apple’s most unique M2 chip, announced Monday at its heart, will be faster and more energy-efficient than previous Apple chips. In addition, there are two USB-C Thunderbolt ports for connecting monitors and peripherals, a headphone jack, and a magnetic MagSafe charging port.
The new MacBook Air is more high budget than ever, starting at $1,199 versus $999 for last year’s model, which is still available. The most potent configuration costs $2499.
The company also announced the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which wasn’t available for viewing on Monday. Apple says the two new MacBooks will be released next month.
In recent weeks, the company has labored to keep Mac stock as the Covid lockdown has heavily impacted production in Shanghai, China.