Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has upgraded its MacBook Air and laptops with the Intel’s latest Haswell processors. After the upgrade, entry-level laptop has become speedier with a 1.4GHz Core i5 chip compared to the 1.3 GHz processor. The iPhone maker has also priced its MacBook series cheaper by $100 each. Now customers can buy the entry-level model at $899 and the 13-inch model at $999 (starting price), according to the company’s website.
Improved battery back up
There is no other significant change apart from the pricing and processor. MacBook still has 128 GB storage and 4GB RAM. MacBook Air is still to get faster Thunderbolt 2 connectivity, which is available in MacBook Pro and Mac Pro desktops. Intel’s Haswell technology along with OS X, efficient energy system helps in increasing the battery life to get up to 12 hours of battery after every re-charge.
Even before the upgrade, a report from 9to5Mac claimed that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is expected to “tweak the Air’s storage options to round out the update” for the new series of MacBook Airs, expected to launch at Apple Stores. Internally, the new Intel “Haswell” sporting laptops of Apple are known as “J41A” for the 11-inch version and “J43A” for the 13-inch.
New update to accelerate Apple market share
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) launched the Haswell powered MacBook Air models in June 2013 at its WWDC event. The main purpose of these models was the better battery life, with the 11-inch version claiming up to 9 hours backup, and the 13-inch model promising up to 12 hours of battery life.
The new changes from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its Mac series will surely drive up the growth of its notebooks. Mac sales increased 5% in the previous quarter compared to the year over year numbers and to rest of the PC industry where the sales declined, according to a report from IDC. In the shrinking PC industry, Macs from Apple are the only gadgets that have gained market share in 31 out of the past 32 quarters.
On Monday, Apple shares closed up 3.87% at $594.09, and in the pre-market trading shares were up 0.34% at $596.11.
