Apple has officially announced the MacBook Air M4, bringing more powerful performance, upgraded memory, and especially a lower price point compared to the previous generation. While the external design remains largely unchanged, the new M4 chip is the biggest highlight, focusing on superior AI processing capabilities.
The MacBook Air M4 is now available for pre-order in two sizes, 13-inch and 15-inch, starting at $999, which is $100 lower than last year’s version. For students, the price is even more attractive at just $899. The device will officially hit shelves on March 12.
M4 Chip: A Major Leap in the AI PC Race
The M4 chip first appeared on the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac last year, but it has now been brought to the MacBook Air lineup. Compared to the M3, the new chip retains core characteristics but has been upgraded from 8 to 10 CPU cores, adding 2 efficiency cores to improve overall performance.
A notable point is the M4’s superior AI processing capability, with a performance of 38 TOPS on the Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This helps Apple compete directly with AI PC chip lineups from Intel Core Ultra and Qualcomm Snapdragon X. Apple has also integrated a series of AI features into macOS, including image generation, notification summaries, spell checking, and intelligent document organization, though user response remains somewhat cautious.
In terms of overall performance, the MacBook Air M4 offers a moderate upgrade over the M3, but compared to the MacBook Air M1 (2020), Apple claims performance can increase up to twofold in most tasks. Compared to the 2020 Intel-based MacBook Air lineup, the MacBook Air M4 is up to 23 times faster, according to Apple’s data.
Additionally, another noteworthy addition is the 12MP camera supporting Center Stage, which helps keep the user in frame during video calls. The Desk View feature also allows the camera to record both the user’s face and the workspace simultaneously, providing better support for online meetings.
MacBook Air M4: Upgraded Configuration, Larger Memory
Aside from the M4 chip, the MacBook Air M4 design is almost unchanged from the previous version. The machine still starts with a 256GB SSD (on the $999 version), but the highest-end version now supports up to 32GB RAM, which can better serve AI tasks.
Along with the MacBook Air, Apple also launched the new Mac Studio, utilizing the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. This product line offers higher RAM capacity and a higher number of CPU/GPU cores compared to the previous generation, while supporting up to 16TB SSD. Apple has also upgraded all 4 Thunderbolt ports to the Thunderbolt 5 standard, while the M3 Ultra model has been supplemented with 2 additional Thunderbolt ports.
The new Mac Studio starts at $1,999 and will go on sale on the same day as the MacBook Air M4.
