Apple launches MacBook Air laptops with faster M3 chips

Apple on Monday (Mar 4) unveiled a pair of new MacBook Air laptops with its latest M3 processors, betting that the more powerful models would attract consumers looking to upgrade to artificial intelligence-powered personal computers.

The new MacBook Air models come with 13-inch and 15-inch screen sizes and are up to 60 per cent faster than the model with Apple’s M1 processor, the company said on its website.

Prices for the smaller model start at US$1,099 in the United States, while the base version of the bigger MacBook Air costs US$1,299.

Both are available for order from Monday, with deliveries set to begin later this week, said Apple, which has since 2020 used its own chip after parting ways with Intel.

The introduction of AI-enabled PCs is expected to help drive a recovery in the PC market in 2024 after a more than two-year, post-pandemic slump.

Its Mac sales were up slightly at US$7.78 billion in the last reported quarter after slumping by a third in the previous quarter. REUTERS

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