Apple unveils all new 13-inch MacBook Air with Retina display, Thunderbolt 3 and more

Apple just took the wraps off an updated version of the popular MacBook Air, adding a Retina display, Thunderbolt 3, a new Trackpad and "a whole lot more."

The portable has a familiar wedge-shaped design (now in three finishes), though it loses a few ports in the process. The left is equipped with a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports and the right a solo headphone jack.

Apple has updated the stunning display for four times the resolution of the existing MacBook Air. They've also ditched the aluminum bezels surrounding the old display, leading the display much closer to the edge.

Touch ID has also been integrated, though a full Touch Bar isn't present. Touch ID is powered by the T2 processor which brings in a host of other functionality such as "Hey, Siri" support.

The 13.3-inch display has a native resolution of 2,560-by-1,600 pixels, with scaled resolutions of 1680 x 1050, 1440 x 900, and 1024 x 640. With the Intel UHD Graphics 617, the new MacBook Air can support one external display with 5120 x 2880 resolution at up to 60Hz or to two external displays with 4096 x 2304 resolution at up to 60Hz over Thunderbolt 3.

With more advanced speakers and audio processing technology, Apple says that the MacBook Air "delivers a higher quality audio experience and wide stereo playback that makes watching movies and listening to music more immersive than ever." The speakers are 25 percent louder with two times more bass than the previous generation for more dynamic range and fuller sound.

An updated third-generation Butterfly keyboard is square in the middle, just above a 20-percent larger Force Touch trackpad. Despite adding these new features, it still winds up with 17 percent less volume than the previous generation, weighing only 2.75 pounds.

"MacBook Air has become the most beloved notebook ever," Tim Cook said on stage today.

The new MacBook Air starts at $1199 for 8GB of 2133 MHz RAM, an eighth-generation Core i5 1.6GHz CPU, and 128GB of storage. Orders start on Tuesday, with availability on Nov. 7. Configurations are available with up to 1.5TB of storage for an additional $1000, and 16GB of RAM for $200 more.

The 13-inch MacBook Air without Retina display is still available for $999.

Where to buy

Apple's 2018 13-inch MacBook Air can be preordered at Apple authorized reseller B&H Photo with no sales tax collected on orders shipped outside AL, HI, IL, IN, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, ND, OK, VT, WA and WI. Orders are filled on a first come, first served basis, and AppleCare can be added during checkout for $249.

For availability across multiple Apple resellers, be sure to visit our 2018 13-inch MacBook Air Price Guide.

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