Apple Update: Apple MacBook Air 2020 announced with twice the facility and a replacement lower cost 

Everything we all know thus far about the MacBook Air 2020

MacBook Air 2020

Apple has just announced the MacBook Air 2020, its latest thin and lightweight laptop that gives the facility, design and builds quality we've come to expect from Apple's laptops, but during a far more affordable package compared to the MacBook Pro.

While the launch of the MacBook Air 2020 has begun of the blue, many folks were hoping for an updated version of the laptop this year given how impressive the MacBook Air (2019) model was.

The new MacBook Air 2020 offers twice the performance and twice the storage of its predecessor, plus a replacement magic keyboard, addressing a few of the issues we had with the previous model.

Best of all, it comes with a replacement lower cost of $999 (£999, AU$1,599) for the bottom model, making it the most cost-effective MacBook Air released.

MacBook Air 2020 release date

The MacBook Air 2020 is out there to order immediately from the Apple Store. Apple says it'll even be available in stores from March 23, although we're unsure if that'll be the case, as Apple Stores around the world are currently closed.

We also do not know if the pandemic will cause shipping delays, so while the MacBook Air 2020 is currently available to shop for, we're unsure when you will get it in your hands. We've asked Apple for clarification on this issue, and we'll update this text once we get a response.

MacBook Air 2020 price


Perhaps the most important surprise with the MacBook Air 2020 announcement is its new lower starting price of $999 / £999 / AU$1,599.

This continues Apple's recent commendable practice of launching more powerful MacBooks that start at lower prices than their predecessors; the MacBook Air 2019, for instance, launched with an entry-level price of $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,699.

The new entry-level MacBook Air comes with a dual-core 10th-generation Intel Core i3 processor, 256GB storage (up from 128GB within the previous model) and 8GB of RAM.

There's also a higher-end MacBook Air, priced at $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$1,999, which comes with a 10th-generation quad-core Intel Core i5 processor – the primary time a quad-core CPU has been included during a MacBook Air – 512GB SSD storage and 8GB of RAM.

You can upgrade the processor, RAM, and storage on both models at additional cost. Apple has also announced that students are going to be ready to get a reduction on the new MacBook Air.

MacBook Air 2020 specs

• Display: 13-inch Retina display with True Tone
• CPU: 10th-generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7
• GPU: Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics
• RAM: 8GB/16GB LPDDR4X (3,733MHz)
• Storage: 256GB–2TB SSD storage
• Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 3 ports

According to Apple, the MacBook Air 2020 is going to be up to twice as fast as last year's model because of the new 10th-generation processors on board.

While Apple isn't divulging the precise sorts of processors used, our guess is that the i3 processor is that the Intel Core i3-1000G4, and therefore the i5 chip is that the Intel Core i5-1030G7. MacBook Airs usually have fanless designs, which leads us to believe these are Intel Ice Lake chips.

Interestingly, this might mean the MacBook Air 2020 has off-the-shelf processors from Intel, instead of specially-made CPUs with higher clocks, which older MacBook Airs had.

Graphics are provided by the integrated GPUs – Intel Iris Plus – which Apple claims will deliver 80% faster graphics performance. While this would possibly not compete with MacBook Pros rocking discrete graphics cards, it should mean the new MacBook Air can better handle tasks like video editing.

MacBook Air 2020 features


While the planning of the new MacBook Air 2020 remains largely unchanged from the previous model, it now comes with a replacement and improved Magic keyboard, which first debuted on last year's MacBook Pro 16-inch.

With a redesigned scissor mechanism, this keyboard should avoid the problems that plagued previous MacBooks with the older Butterfly keyboard.

This new keyboard offers 1mm key travel for a responsive feel when typing, and therefore the arrow keys are now in an inverted 'T' shape, as on PC keyboards, which makes them more intuitive to use.

The MacBook Air 2020 features a unibody design made up of 100% recycled aluminum and comes in three color options: gold, silver and space gray.

The Thunderbolt 3 ports also an approach to a 6K external display, which may be a first for a MacBook Air.

macOS 10.14.1 Supplemental Update available now

The MacBook Air (2018) has not been in the hands of the public for long – it went on sale November 7 – but Apple has already seen fit to release a supplemental update for its macOS 10.14.1 operating system specifically for the new laptop.

The update is called “macOS Mojave 10.14.1 Supplemental Update for MacBook Air (2018)” and can be downloaded right now.

This shouldn’t be confused with the macOS Mojave 10.14.1 update, which Apple released at the end of October, and is already installed on the MacBook Air (2018).

Instead, this is an additional update specifically for the new MacBook Air, which should “improve the stability and reliability of MacBook Air (2018) computers, and is recommended for all users.”

Getting the update


It may be a bit annoying to have to download an update as soon as you get your new MacBook Air, but it’s worth installing the Supplemental Update as soon as possible. We’ve been using the MacBook Air (2018) for our upcoming review, and while we’ve not encountered major issues, it has crashed on us once, right at the start of our tests, so hopefully, the update will prevent any similar problems.

To download the update, open up System Preferences, then click on ‘Software Update’. The update should be waiting to be installed.

The update is 1.46GB so you may want to make sure you’re not on a metered connection, and it also suggests it’s a reasonably substantial update.



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Apple has given repairability some though. Just a little.

An iFixit teardown of the new MacBook Air gives us a peek at the engineering that goes into Apple's new ultraportable. So, what's new on the inside? Well, a lot.

First off, while the Air is in no way upgradable (the processor, RAM, and storage are all crammed onto one mainboard, along with most of the other silicon), Apple's put a bit of thought to repairability.

A bit.

For example, the external ports are on two separate logic boards, which means if you cause some damage by being careless, the repair should be a lot cheaper than it would be if you have to replace the mainboard. This is always a nice touch, especially as now the MacBook Air draws power from a USB-C port, and not the breakaway MagSafe connector.

The new MacBook Air also has a fan. While Apple has shifted to a fanless design for its other lightweight laptops, the new Intel Core i5 processor must output more heat than a fanless cooling system can cope with, and as such requires some airflow to get it out of the case and into the atmosphere.

Another nod to repairability is the stretch-release adhesive strips used to hold down the battery, which makes removing the battery easier, and a whole lot safer since you don't have to go prying at it and risk rupturing the unit.

But there are some repair headaches too. Repairing a damaged trackpad will involve removing the mainboard while damaging the keyboard will result in a full teardown since it's integrated into the top case.



Even replacing the battery will mean having to dig out the mainboard and speakers.

The bottom line is that the new MacBook Air is a little more repairable than some Macs, but that doesn't really mean that much. While it's a nice touch that the ports are modular, upgradability and repairability is clearly not a high priority for Apple.



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But is that enough?

Apple officially unveiled the MacBook Air 2018 on Tuesday, October 30, and benchmark results have emerged on the internet that show a noticeable improvement over 2017’s MacBook Air, though some people may feel the boost doesn’t go far enough.

The Geekbench results, which are a benchmark used by many people (us included) to test the processing power of computers, show that the new MacBook Air 2018 with Retina display sporting a 1.6GHz dual-core 8th-gen Intel Core i5 processor scores 4,248 in the single core test, and 7,828 in the multi-core test.

As 9to5Mac observes, this is around 27% and 28% faster than the single core and multi-core scores of the MacBook Air 2017, respectively.

This means you’re certainly going to get a better performance out of the new MacBook Air compared to last year’s model, though some people may be disappointed to see that the leap isn’t quite as drastic as they hoped.

Power profile


The MacBook Air 2018 is 20% more powerful than the 12-inch MacBook in single core Geekbench tests, and 17% faster in multi-core scores.

The 9to5Mac website also compared the scores with the MacBook Pro 2017 without Touch Bar, which scores roughly the same as the new MacBook Air when it comes to single-core performance, but is about 16% faster than the MacBook Air when it comes to multi-core performance.

However, the MacBook Pro 2017 is around $100 (£80, AU$140) more expensive than the MacBook Air 2018, which makes the newer Mac a much more compelling purchase.

Against the new MacBook Pro 2018, however, the MacBook Air 2018 doesn’t stand a chance, with multi-core scores being almost double in favor of the Pro. This shouldn’t be too surprising considering the more expensive nature of the MacBook Pro, which is geared more towards professional use cases.

While Geekbench (or any benchmark scores, for that matter) don’t show the whole picture when it comes to performance, these scores at least give us an idea of where the MacBook Air 2018 sits when it comes to MacBook performance.

We’ll have our full MacBook Air 2018 review up next week, where we’ll take a closer look at what kind of performance we can expect from Apple’s latest laptop.



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According to speculation stemming from a recent education sector order

Speculation has bubbled up indicating that Apple could be introducing a refreshed MacBook Air – or a replacement for the aging laptop – at its press event on October 30.

The story as detailed by 9 to 5 Mac is that a school recently ordered an iPad and Apple Pencil alongside a MacBook Air, with Apple fulfilling that shipment, all aside from the notebook which the customer was notified will be delayed – and is expected to ship on October 30.

As mentioned, that’s the same day Apple is holding a press launch in New York, and putting two and two together, this seems to indicate that a fresh machine replacing the MacBook Air will be revealed on the day – and can then ship to that education sector customer.

Of course, this is far from any guarantee, and it could just be a plain coincidence or momentary inventory blip somewhere in the pipeline.

However, with Apple having been long expected to do something on the stale MacBook Air front, it’s certainly a believable piece of speculation that a refresh or replacement is indeed coming at the end of October.

Ancient Air

The current MacBook Air is a seriously dated device and is certainly long overdue an overhaul on the hardware front. If that comes, it’s unlikely to be a minor upgrade to the components, but rather, a more thorough rethink.

Or indeed a more wallet-friendly 13-inch Retina MacBook could emerge, effectively making the MacBook Air redundant and seeing it scrapped (rumors along these lines have been swirling since the very beginning of this year).

Another interesting nugget here is that the school ordered the higher-spec 256GB MacBook Air, and was charged $1,199 (around £930, AU$1,690) with education-related discount, suggesting that this could be a ballpark figure for the cost of the new machine.

Although that really is veering off into speculative territory, it does point more to the emergence of a 13-inch Retina MacBook at that cost, with a more budget-friendly model being introduced (or re-priced, rather) at the entry-level.

At least we’ll know what Apple has up its sleeve on the MacBook front very soon, as there’s less than a week to wait for the press event now.


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We have some requests for this rumored MacBook