Apple has introduced an updated model of the MacBook Air laptop, which developers position as the “most popular laptop in the world.” The 2020 model has significantly increased productivity, received double the amount of memory and the new Magic Keyboard. In addition, the 2020 Mac mini model was unveiled at the presentation.
The external design of the new MacBook Air has not changed compared to the last year’s model. However, the hardware received a significant update. The main problems that were solved by Apple engineers include the return of the “scissor” mechanism for the keyboard, replacing the unsuccessful “butterfly” design. In 2019, the company abandoned the “butterfly” mechanism in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and now the engineers have returned to the traditional “scissor mechanism” in the MacBook Air.
The consumer will also be surprised at Apple’s new pricing policy, as they are planning to bring the updated MacBook Air to the market for $100 less than the 2019 model. From now on, the MacBook Air will be priced at just $999.
Other specifications of the MacBook Air have not changed much. The True Tone screen of the laptop has a diagonal of 13.3 inches, a resolution of 2560×1600 and the aspect ratio of 16:10. The standard initial configuration of the laptop is characterized by hardware running on a Core i3 processor with frequencies in the range of 1.1-3.2 GHz. The top configuration will provide Core i7 processors with frequencies in the range of 1.2-3.8 GHz.
In accordance with the tradition, the company’s developers do not disclose processor models, but experts believe that laptops will use the special 10th generation Amber Lake-Y processors. At the same time, experts suggest that Apple will receive proprietary processors based on the ARM architecture in the very next lineup.
The updated model range provides for the delivery of SSD drives of a larger volume than last year’s devices: 256 GB and 2 TB. Meanwhile, the amount of RAM remained unchanged: 8 or 16 GB, depending on the configuration.
The changes did not affect the autonomy of laptops that can run on a single battery charge for about 11 hours in the surfing mode on the Internet using a browser or about 13 hours when watching a video. The shape and geometric dimensions of the case also remained unchanged: its dimensions are 304.1×212.4×16.1 (4.1 mm is the minimum thickness) with a mass of 1.29 kg.
The presentation showed the updated Mac mini, which received only one improvement: a doubled amount of memory. Now, you will have to pay $799 for the base Mac mini model with a 256 GB SSD, while the flagship device with 512 GB will cost Apple fans $1,099.
