Apple has announced an updated 2020 MacBook Air alongside new 11- and 12.9in iPad Pros.
The MacBook Air gets the expected keyboard upgrade: it now comes with the Magic keyboard first seen on the 16in MacBook Pro when it was announced towards the end of 2019. The scissor-switch design replaces the problematic butterfly mechanism in older MacBooks.
Other updates include quad-core processors (a first for a MacBook Air) and base storage of 256GB, twice that of the old model. Max storage tops out at 2TB, again, twice what was available before.
The new processors are 10th-gen Intel Core chips, up to a Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz. Iris Plus graphics are integrated, and this GPU is a lot quicker than in the old MacBook Air, up to 80 percent faster and better for games and video editing.
Screen-wise, there’s no major change: TrueTone was added in the 2019 update and you still get a resolution of 2560×1600 pixels. It is not a touchscreen, contrary to recent rumours.
In terms of colours, there’s a choice of Space Gray, Gold or Silver.
Other minor changes include:
⦁ 20% larger Force Touch Trackpad ⦁ 25% more speaker volume with 100% more bass ⦁ Support for 6K display via Thunderbolt 3
How much is the new MacBook Air?
Last year Apple dropped the price, and for 2020 it has been reduced again, so the base model of the 2020 MacBook Air is £999 / $999.
The main specs are:
- 10th-gen Intel Core i3
- 256GB storage
- 8GB RAM
The step-up model costs £1299 / $1299 and has the following specs:
- 10th-gen Intel Core i5
- 512GB storage
- 8GB RAM
All models have Touch ID, plus the T2 security chip.
When is the 2020 MacBook Air release date?
You can buy the new MacBook from Apple right now, and it should arrive in 2-4 working days. That’s if you’re in the US.
In the UK, estimated delivery dates are 6-15 April at the time of writing. See the current estimate here
Online order and delivery is currently your only option as Apple has shut all its retail stores due to the current coronavirus pandemic.
Apple didn’t announce any other laptops, but you can read about all the rumours of the 2020 MacBook Pro
Author: Jim Martin, Executive Editor
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.