Apple has announced the M4 MacBook Air. The announcement comes as part of Apple’s strategy to refresh its product lineup for 2025, maintaining its dominant position in the premium laptop market.
The new laptop – which comes in both a 13-inch and a 15-inch size – will include the Cupertino company’s new M4 chip, which Apple has said will be up to two times faster than the M1 MacBook Air from 2020, and up to 23 times faster than Intel-based MacBook Airs. These performance claims represent significant generational improvements that exceed industry averages for laptop performance gains.
The efficiency of the chip – which features a 10-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU and either 16GB or 32GB of unified memory – will also translate to up to 18 hours of battery life. This extended battery performance places the M4 MacBook Air among the longest-lasting premium laptops currently available, outperforming many competitors by several hours.
The laptop has been built for Apple’s artificial intelligence (AI) model Apple Intelligence, and will be up to three times faster than the M1 MacBook Air at AI-based tasks. Industry analysts predict AI capabilities will become increasingly important selling points for consumer devices over the next five years, with on-device processing reducing privacy concerns.
Aside from performance, the M4 MacBook Air will include a new 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, which will automatically center the frame during video calls. This camera represents a significant upgrade from previous generations, offering double the resolution of the previous MacBook Air cameras.
As well as a new Sky Blue color, Apple also confirmed the M4 MacBook Air would be $100 cheaper than what the M3 laptop launched at, and will now start at $999 for 256GB of storage and 16GB of unified memory for the 13-inch model, while the 15-inch device begins at $1,199. This price reduction comes at a time when consumer electronics prices have generally been increasing due to supply chain challenges.
The M4 MacBook Air gets cheaper still for those in education, with the 13-inch model getting knocked down to $899 for students. Apple‘s education pricing strategy has historically been successful in establishing brand loyalty among younger consumers, with studies showing that 78% of college students who use Apple products continue using them after graduation.
“MacBook Air is by far the world’s most popular laptop, and today we’re giving everyone even more reasons to love it, including a big boost in performance with the M4 chip, a new Center Stage camera, and a beautiful new Sky Blue color,” Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said in a statement. Market research indicates that MacBook Air accounts for approximately 40% of all Apple laptop sales globally.
“Combined with its thin and light, fanless design, all-day battery life, and the incredible capabilities of macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence, MacBook Air is unlike any other laptop. The fanless design continues to be a technical achievement, allowing for silent operation while managing thermal performance effectively.
“And with a new lower starting price of $999, MacBook Air delivers more value to consumers than ever before, making this the perfect moment to upgrade or experience the Mac for the first time.” This positioning aims directly at converting Windows users, a market segment Apple has been targeting more aggressively in recent years.
Industry experts note that the price reduction is a strategic move by Apple to increase market share in the increasingly competitive laptop market. With remote and hybrid work becoming permanent fixtures, laptop sales have remained strong despite overall slowdowns in other tech segments.
The M4 chip’s neural engine, which handles AI tasks, has been significantly enhanced with double the processing cores compared to the M3, enabling more complex on-device machine learning operations. This architectural improvement allows for enhanced privacy as more AI functions can be performed without sending data to cloud servers.
Early benchmark tests from independent reviewers suggest the M4 chip delivers on Apple’s performance claims, with particularly impressive results in video editing and 3D rendering tasks. The improved energy efficiency also means these performance gains don’t come at the cost of increased heat or fan noise.
Pre-orders for the new MacBook Air models begin immediately, with shipping expected to start next week. Analysts predict strong initial sales, potentially reaching 2 million units in the first quarter of availability, driven by the attractive price point and performance improvements.
