The WWDC 2022 has concluded. And this year was not exactly like every other year. WWDC is traditionally a software-focused event. But this year, there have been not one, but two hardware releases. As hinted by rumour mills, Apple has released two new MacBooks for its 2022 lineup, the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro, both of which will be the first devices to be powered by Apple’s new M2 Chip. Its predecessor, the M1, was anyways way ahead of competition. M2 is taking it even further.
Let us have a look at both these launches in detail.
MacBook Air 2022, starting at $1,199
The more interesting of the two, MacBook Air has seen some design changes this year. Moving away from the traditional wedge-inspired design, the device takes a more edgy, squared-off form factor. While the bezels around the screen are slimmer compared to last year’s model, the device has a very prominent rectangular notch, housing the front camera and other components. The design has transitioned towards the 14 Inch MacBook Pro. The device measures at 11 mm thick and weighs in at 2.7 pounds.
Following classic Apple tradition, the MacBook Air will not feature too many ports, coming in with a headphone jack and 2 Thunderbolt USB 4 ports, the old-abandoned headphone jack and the new magsafe ring.
MacBook Air comes with a larger 2560×1664 13.6-inch display, capable of delivering peak brightness of 500 nits. Under the hood, the device has the brand new M2 chip, and a fan-less design. The non-reliance on a cooling fan is an impressive feat, considering the power that the processor is capable of. Apple has claimed a 40% performance improvement from last year.
This, MacBook Air recieves a new 1080p FaceTime front camera housed in the notch. Also, with magsafe, the device can use an iPhone’s camera as the front camera. Apple has called this feature The Continuity camera.
The device will be available in 4 colorways, the good old silver, space grey, and new “starlight” gold and “midnight” blue. While the base model (8-core GPU/8GB RAM/256 GB storage) is priced in the US at $1,199, variants with more power and storage will be available at $1,499 (10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage). 24GB RAM and 2TB storage variants will also be available. The device hits the markets in July, and the product page is live on Apple’s website. Variants with last yeary M1 Chip will be starting at $999.
13-Inch MacBook Pro, starting at 1,299
There isn’t much new to the MacBook Pro. This device inherits everything else from its predecessor, except for the processor, which will be the M2. Because of the M2’s capabilities, the device supports upto 24GB of RAM and 2TB SSD Storage, all while delivering a 20-hour battery life. This device will also hit the shelves in July, starting at $1,299
(Note: The prices mentioned in this article are strictly for the United States of America. Prices of these devices will vary for India.)
