MacBook Air 15-inch: Apple reveals big version of its smallest laptop

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Apple has revealed a 15-inch version of the MacBook Air, a big version of its smallest laptop.

The new MacBook Air is the smallest 15-inch laptop ever, at just over 11mm, Apple said.

It is the first time Apple has made a version of its most powerful computer at such a size. Recently, Apple has only sold it in 13-inches, requiring users to pay up for a much more expensive MacBook Pro for a larger display – though it once offered the MacBook Air at 11-inches, too.

Apart from the extra size, and the use of that extra size to add another two speakers for a total of six, the new MacBook Air is the same as its smaller sibling.

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The 15in MacBook Air is available to pre-order now and will begin shipping on 13 June. Prices start from £1,399 for the 256GB model and £1,599 for the 512GB model.

The new computer was announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, which saw the unveiling of a new virtual reality headset named Vision Pro, and updates for all of Apple’s software including MacOS.

Apple also used the announcement to update its Mac Studio desktop machine, saying its new M2 Ultra chip can process artificial intelligence work that rival chips do not have enough memory to handle.

Apple also introduced a new version of the Mac Pro, its highest-performing desktop, with an M2 Ultra chip. Until Monday, the Mac Pro was the last computer in Apple‘s lineup that still used an Intel chip.

Apple‘s Mac lineup has experienced a revival since it started using its own chips in 2020, but in recent quarters sales have slumped along with the broader PC market.

Additional reporting by Reuters