In a nutshell: This year's MacBook Air looks nearly identical to its predecessor on the outside, but prospective buyers will benefit from better performance, a higher memory ceiling, and a slightly lower price. The main improvement is the introduction of Apple's M4 processor to the Air line, which focuses primarily on enhanced AI performance. The new MacBook Air equipped with Apple's latest M4 processor is now available for pre-order in 13-inch and 15-inch configurations, starting at $999 $100 less than last year's model or $899 for students. It will be available beginning March 12.The M4, which debuted in the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac last year, is the highlight of this update. It retains the core features of the M3, which arrived for the MacBook Air last year, but increases the CPU core count from eight to ten by adding two extra efficiency cores.With 38 TOPS of NPU performance, the M4 is Apple's leading chip in the AI PC race against Intel's new Core Ultra series and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processors. Apple's AI suite includes an image generator, notification summaries, a proofreader, enhanced organization tools, and more, though consumer interest has been tepid so far.While the M4 MacBook Air offers only modest performance gains over last year's model, users still relying on the M1 edition from 2020 may see performance double in most tasks (Apple's benchmarks). Compared to the last Intel-based MacBook Air released that same year, Apple claims the M4 version delivers a massive 23x uplift.Another notable addition is a new 12-megapixel camera that supports Center Stage, which keeps the frame focused on the user during calls and meetings. The Desk View feature allows the camera to capture both the user's face and their desk simultaneously. // Related StoriesOtherwise, the M4 MacBook Air's design remains nearly identical to its predecessor. The base storage configuration is still 256GB (in the $999 model, with subsequent expensive upgrades for a larger SSD), though the highest-tier model now supports up to 32GB of RAM, likely to accommodate Apple Intelligence.Apple also announced a new Mac Studio, arriving next week, which introduces the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. These new processors introduce significant increases in RAM capacity and core counts over the previous M2 Max and M2 Ultra models. Additionally, the maximum storage option now expands to 16TB. All four Thunderbolt ports have been upgraded to Thunderbolt 5, and the M3 Ultra model adds two additional ports. Pricing starts at $1,999, with availability beginning the same day as the new MacBook Air.