New Macbook Air 2014: The new MacBook Air arrives today with a $100 price cut across the board, and new processors and longer battery life. According to Gotta Be Mobile, shoppers can buy the 11-inch MacBook Air 2014 model for $899 and the 13-inch MacBook Air 2014 model for $999. This is a $100 price cut on the starting price of each model and this discount carries into the upgraded models as well. For users that need more, a customized MacBook Air 2014 model is $100 less as well.
According to Trusted Review, the 2014 editions are slightly faster, with CPUs boosted from 1.3GHz to 1.4GHz.
"The 2014 11.6-inch MacBook Air will reportedly be more similar to a classic 10.1-inch netbook. MobileGeeks says that the frame around the screen will be narrower, while the profile of the MacBook air will further lose a few millimeters - the current 11.6-inch machine is 0.3mm thick at its slimmest edge and measures 1.7cm at the display hinged edge.
It's not clear whether the 13.3-inch MacBook Air model will receive similar cosmetic changes, but current 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch MacBook Air models are similar when it comes to design, a feature Apple will likely keep in place in the future," BGR says.
Gotta Be Mobile say that Apple did not drop the amount of storage or RAM. Both of the MacBook Air 2014 entry-level models offer Intel HD 5000 graphics, 4GB RAM and 128GB of PCIe flash storage. A $100 price jump doubles the storage to 256GB and includes options to customize the notebook with a 512GB SSD for $300 and 8GB of RAM for $100. Apple also offers a 1.7GHz Intel Core i7 4th generation processor option for another $150 upgrade fee. A fully loaded 13-inch MacBook Air 2014 model retails for $1,749.
Apple did not change the design for the MacBook Air 2014 models. The 11-inch MacBook Air 2014 is 0.68-inch thick at the largest spot and weighs 2.38 pounds. The 13-inch MacBook Air 2014 is the same thickness, but weighs 2.96 pounds.
Users also get 802.11ac WiFi support. This new faster WiFi offers better range and speeds when connected to a compatible router.
The new MacBook Air 2014 models ship with OS X Mavericks and include free access to iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers and KeyNote. Apple will likely announce a new version of OS X, called OS X 10.10, at WWDC 2014 in early June. This will likely arrive as a free update or MacBook Air owners later this year.
The new MacBook 2014 devices are available in some Apple Stores today and ship within 24 hours from the online Apple Store.
