Apple unveils revamped MacBook Air laptops

Apple Inc. on Monday refreshed its 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models, adding slightly faster M3 processors and cutting the price of the prior versions.

The company said the M3 chip in the MacBook Air makes the 13-inch model 1.6 times faster than the M1 version released in 2020, adding that the computer is 13 times faster than the latest Intel Corp. variations from a few years ago. The new machines run a third-generation Apple-designed Mac processor.

The laptops resemble prior versions — the 13-inch model from 2022 and the 15-inch version from last year — but may help continue momentum for the Mac line that started in October with new versions of the MacBook Pro and iMac.

While the processor speed isn’t meaningfully upgraded, the M3 chip has much more advanced graphics, including ray-tracing, which improves the quality of games. The graphics engine is nearly six times faster than on the 2020 MacBook Air, Apple said.

Besides the new chip and faster wireless performance, the M3 MacBook Air models also can connect to two external monitors at once. The biggest development may be a price cut to the M2 13-inch MacBook Air, which is now $999. The M3 13-inch model starts at $1099, while the 15-inch version begins at $1299.

All of the base configurations continue to include 8 gigabytes of memory, or RAM, a technical specification that some Apple watchers have criticized. The company does offer upgrades of up to 24 gigabytes.

Bloomberg News earlier reported that new MacBook Air models were imminent. Apple is also set to soon launch new iPad Pros, iPad Air and such accessories as upgraded keyboard cases and Apple Pencil.