Apple unveils new M2 chip, redesigned Macbook Air

The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is an annual event by Apple to showcase the latest upcoming updates to their softwares across platforms – iOS, iPadOS, MacOS, and WatchOS. It also used to be the stage to unveil new iPhones from 3G to 4, and most recently the latest iMac Pro and Mac Pro. 

This year, Apple brought with them the second generation of Apple silicon named ‘M2’ and bearing it is the redesigned Macbook Air, while also being retrofitted to the current 13-inch Macbook Pro. 

M2

The latest iteration of Apple silicon still uses the 5nm process as the M1 but they’ve put in 25% more transistors in the M2. This allows the processor to handle up to 24GB of unified memory, 100GB/s memory bandwidth, and 18% better performance – all while still being power efficient. 

M2 also has 2 more GPU cores than M1 giving it 35% better performance for visual and 3D rendering tasks. It’s also able to handle 8K H.264 videos, 8K ProRes video playback, and better image noise reduction where applicable. 

Macbook Air 2022

The thinnest laptop in Apple’s lineup has received a major redesign, apart from bearing the new M2 processor. The 2022 Macbook Air is at 11.3mm thin and is not tapered unlike before. The bezels around the screen are thinner, resulting in a bigger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display that’s 25% brighter than before. It also has a notch for the 1080p webcam, similar to the 14-inch Macbook Pro unveiled last year. Despite all these additions, the new Macbook Air still has up to 18 hours of video playback or all-day battery life for more casual use.

In addition to the two Thunderbolt ports and 3.5mm audio jack, MagSafe made its way back to the Macbook Air for dedicated charging. The keyboard was also revised to mimic the design of the latest Magic Keyboard, having a bigger function row, escape key, and Touch ID key. 

New colors also made its way to the new Macbook Air. Silver and Space Grey were retained while Gold was removed. Added to the lineup is a darker Midnight that is almost black but with a hint of blue. 

The new Macbook Air will start at P69,990 which is P12,000 more than the base model M1 Macbook Air. 

13-inch Macbook Pro 2022

Apple has also updated the most affordable MacBook Pro in their lineup by retaining its design and putting the new M2 processor in it. The base model starts with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, and is also capable of up to 24GB of unified memory. It has all the capabilities of the Macbook Air but with an additional cooling system for better performance at intensive tasks. Battery life is rated to last up to 20 hours of video playback. 

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 will start at P74,990.