Apple announces MacBook Air with M4 chip for less than $1,000

Apple's new MacBook Air has arrived, and as expected, it has an M4 chip.

Slightly less expected is the lower price point. The M4 MacBook Air starts at $999, which is $100 less than previous models. It also comes in a new sky blue color, joining the other options, midnight, starlight, and silver.

Thanks to the M4 chip, Apple says the new MacBook Air is two times faster than the M1 MacBook Air, and "accelerates AI-based tasks," which means, yep, Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT. The new device comes with a new 12MP Center Stage camera, 16GB of RAM, and the traditional sizes: 13-inch and 15-inch display options.

The MacBook Air announcement is the third launch in a recent flurry of activity from Apple. Two weeks ago, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16e, a budget-friendly version of the iPhone series formerly known as SE. The iPhone 16e comes with the same A18 chip as its iPhone 16 siblings, giving it much of the same performance and capabilities.

Yesterday, as hinted by Tim Cook's "there's something in the air" teaser, Apple launched a new iPad Air with an M3 chip. Although it doesn't have the M4, Apple's most advanced chip, it's the same price point as the preview M2 iPad Air. And now we have the MacBook Air — with the powerful M4 chip and 16GB of RAM — for less than $1,000. There's something in the air at Apple, and it seems to be offering powerful performance at more competitive prices.

As previously mentioned, the 13-inch MacBook Air with an M4 chip starts at $999 and the 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199. Preorders start today, with availability starting on March 12.