On Wednesday, Apple unveiled updated versions of its MacBook Air and Mac Studio desktop. This marks Apple’s second product announcement this week, following the launch of the M3-powered iPad Air and a new base-model iPad. Last month, Apple also introduced the iPhone 16e, its most budget-friendly iPhone. These updates were announced without a special event, signaling incremental improvements rather than groundbreaking new releases.
Still Lightweight and Slim, But More Powerful
The updated MacBook Air is powered by the faster M4 chip, featuring a 10-core CPU, up to a 10-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory in the base model, and up to 32GB in higher-end versions. This chip, also used in last year’s iPad Pro and iMac, supports Apple Intelligence, the company’s upcoming suite of AI features, set to launch in India this April.
Apple says the M4 MacBook Air is twice as fast as the M1 version. Available in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes, the MacBook Air M4 features a new 12-megapixel Center Stage camera and offers up to 18 hours of battery life. With the upgraded M4 chip, users can now connect up to two external displays, a notable improvement over the single screen supported by previous M-series models.
The design stays consistent with previous models, but the notebook now offers new color options—Sky Blue, a metallic light blue, along with Midnight, Starlight, and Silver.
Apple’s MacBook Air is a popular choice among students, freelancers, and anyone seeking a notebook with macOS. The company heavily promotes the MacBook Air in education, a key market that drives significant sales. Apple markets the MacBook Air as the “world’s best consumer laptop for AI,” positioning it against new Windows laptops branded as “AI PCs.”
The 13-inch MacBook Air M4 starts at Rs 99,900, while the 15-inch model begins at Rs 124,900. Both are available for pre-order now and will hit stores on March 12.
Mac Studio Gets M4 Max, M3 Ultra Chips
Apple is also updating its Mac Studio, a compact desktop housed in a cube-shaped aluminum box with USB-C ports and an SD card slot on the front. The new model features the high-performance M4 Max chip, a more powerful version of the M4 designed for professional users like coders, video editors, and graphic designers.
Apple claims the Mac Studio with the M4 Max delivers “groundbreaking pro performance,” featuring up to a 16-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU, over half a terabyte per second of unified memory bandwidth, and a Neural Engine that is more than three times faster than the M1 Max. The M4 Max GPU boasts advanced graphics architecture, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and a second-generation ray tracing engine.
The base model of the M4 Max Mac Studio comes with 32GB of unified memory, with support for up to 128GB. It also supports Apple Intelligence, offering AI-powered writing and editing features, as well as a redesigned Siri.
In addition to the M4 Max, Apple is also offering the Mac Studio with the M3 Max chip.
The Mac Studio was first introduced in 2022 and can be paired with the 27-inch Studio Display, which features a 5K resolution, an Apple chip, built-in speakers, and a camera. Alternatively, it can be used with Apple’s high-end Pro XDR display or any other compatible monitor.
The Mac Studio starts at Rs 219,400 and is available for pre-order today, with shipments beginning on March 12. Users can also customize the Mac Studio to meet their specific needs.
In the quarter ending December, Apple reported $8.98 billion in Mac sales, with Mac revenue rising 15 percent, marking strong growth compared to last year’s weak holiday quarter performance.
