The iPad Pro is not the only Apple product getting some update love-- the company also has refreshes of the MacBook Air, now featuring a Retina display and Touch ID, and boosted version of the compact Mac Mini desktop PC.
“The first MacBook Air revolutionized Mac with its thin wedge-shaped aluminum design. It forever changed the entire industry for portable computers and became the world’s most loved notebook,” the compan ysays. “Redesigning MacBook Air started with a stunning Retina display and all-day battery life, and then we added Touch ID and the Apple T2 Security Chip, the latest processors, incredible sound, the third-generation keyboard and Force Touch trackpad, high speed Thunderbolt 3 ports, and of course macOS Mojave in a beautiful, thinner, lighter, all-aluminum design that a whole new generation of MacBook Air customers are going to love.”
Available in gold, space gray and silver, the 2018 MacBook Air features a 2560 x 1600 display, 1.6GHz (3.6GHz boost) dual-core mobile i5 processor, Intal UHD Graphics 617, 8GB RAM (upgradeable to 16GB), up to 1.5TB storage, 720p FaceTime camera, triple microphone setup and a 50.3Wh battery. Connectivity comes through x2 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports with charging support, x1 DisplayPort, x1 Thunderbolt (up to 40Gbps), x1 USB-C (up to 10Gbps) and a headphone jack. As for wireless Apple adds 802.11ac wifi and Bluetooth 4.2.
The design is also refined, promising the "industry's best trackpad," the latest generation Apple backlit keyboard and speakers capable of more immersive stereo audio. Construction is in a "custom, Apple-designed aluminium alloy" consisting of 100% recycled aluminium, and in total the laptop measures 30.41 x 21.24 x 1.56cm, and weighs 1.25kg.
As for the 2018 Mac Mini-- a first update in 4 years-- the compact desktop PC retains the same design, only with internal improveemnts allowing for a 100% increase in airflow. It carries a choice of 8th generation 6- or 4-core processors, up to 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 RAM, up to 2TB flash storage and connectivity via Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), HDMI 2.0 and 10Gb ethernet. The body is in space gray, and built out of the custom Apple aluminium made out of 100% recycled aluminium.
Both 2018 MacBook Air and Mac Mini ship from November 2018.
