Apple confirms launch date for MacBook Air with M2 chip

BY ANTHONY NLEBEM

Apple Inc., an American technology company, on Tuesday said the new MacBook Air notebook equipped with the M2 chip would be launched on July 8 and shipment to other countries would start on July 15.

Apple had planned to launch the new MacBook Air on July 15.

The new MacBook Air has been redesigned with a larger 13.6-inch display, a notch, flatter edges, and new Starlight and Midnight colour options. The notebook features MagSafe charging, an upgraded 1080p camera, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones, four speakers, and more.

Apple said the MacBook Air M2 chip has up to an 18 percent faster CPU, up to a 35 percent faster GPU, and up to a 40 percent faster Neural Engine compared to the M1 chip. With the M2 chip, the MacBook Air can be configured with up to 24GB of unified memory, whereas the M1 chip supports a maximum of 16GB of memory. The notebook is available with up to a 2TB SSD.

Besides the new M2 chip, which offers 18 percent more CPU performance, 35 percent more GPU performance, and up to 50 percent more memory bandwidth compared to the M1 chip, the new Air will have an improved 1080p camera and four-speaker sound system.

The new MacBook Air could cost about $1,199 in the United States, while MacBook Air with an M1 chip remains available for $999, but could cost more in other countries.

Customers can place their orders for the MacBook Air with an M2 chip via Apple.com or the Apple Store app.