Beneath the hyperbole around Apple Intelligence and intensifying regulation, you might have missed that Apple recently introduced a newMacBook Air equipped with an M4 chip. Its a compelling upgrade to the worlds best-selling laptop, and Ive had time to put it through its paces.Its an important Mac, given that the Air is probably Apples biggest-selling computer. Its journey began back when Apples then-CEO,Steve Jobs drew the first ever model out of a brown paper envelope, stressing the power and portability of the system.We think that this is the future of notebooks. All notebooks will be like this someday, hesaid at that time.He was right, and also wrong, because I dont think theres anything else quite like the MacBook Air at this price.You see, these (from) $999 computers deliver almost equal computational performance when measured in Geekbench 6 to the M1 Max Mac Studio Apple introduced three years ago.I dont know how you see that, but to me, given the extent to which everyone was blown away by just how powerful those Studio Macs were, the fact that you can now put near-equivalent performance under your arm for less than $1,000 should make the M4 MacBook Air popular with consumers and business users alike.Ready for an upgrade?Thats something that matters as Microsoft ends support for Windows 10 later this year, giving lots of PC users a really good opportunity to upgrade to the Mac. Many already areCanalys recently reported that US Mac shipments in Q4 2024 increased 25.9%, year-on-year, even as the PC industry as a whole grew just 5.7%.The Windows refresh cycle provides fertile ground for Apple to target both consumers and businesses that may be open to switching operating systems, Canalys said. The fertility of that ground cannot have been far from Apples mind when it decided to add a 10-core M4 chip to the MacBook Air especially given the speed and energy efficiency that defines the range of every single M-series Mac released. That it managed to reduce the entry-level price by $100 just adds to the appeal.Performance comes at lower costLets roll out the Geekbench 6 benchmarks. They show that,iterationbyiteration, Apple is delivering compelling performance improvements that cement its reputation as the leading PC maker.M1 MacBook Air: 2,346 single-core; 8,356 multi-core.M2 MacBook Air: 2,588 single-core; 9,691, multi-core.M3 MacBook Air: 3,065 single-core; 11,959 multi-core.M4 MacBook Air: 3,833 single-core; 14,871 multi-core.Look at that data.Not only does it illustrate the extent to which Apple Silicon has transformed the Mac, it also shows us just how solid the companys processor development road map has turned out to be. Seeing is believing, and since the first M1 machines appeared, Apple has managed to deliver compelling upgrades on a near-annual basis. It will continue to do so, even as competitors flail in their attempts to catch up on machines that can match Apple on performance, price, and energy consumption.Thanks for the memoryOne big upgrade in this iteration is that Apple doubled the memory inside these systems. Ostensibly to run artificial intelligence in the form of Apple Intelligence, the inclusion of 16GB as the base memory makes for improved performance in everything else you do on your Mac. Dont underestimate the grunt here not only can it handle existing Apple Intelligence operations, but it is plain that once Apple does deliver contextual smarts in Siri, the new Air will be able to handle it, in part thanks to that memory.I also think the combination of a better processor with more built-in memory makes this model a compelling upgrade proposition, even if you are running an M2 MacBook Air, and certainly for M1 users. Of course, if you are using an Intel-based Mac of any kind, then any M-series Mac is a significant upgrade. (You also get a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera for those inevitable video meetings that punctuate most days.)Whats like blue, but not as heavy?Light blue is the new color to show off. Its quite a subtle blue nothing like a sky blue but pleasing all the same. To my mind, its more a blue-tinged silver. But the votes in my house are broadly positive for the new shade, which will no doubt appear in student halls, coffee shops, meeting rooms, and offices near you in the coming months.However, every silver lining comes wrapped up in its very own cloud, and the M4 MacBook Air is no different. The design hasnt shifted one iota its still aluminum, still beautiful, and now features more than 55% recycled content, including a 100% recycled aluminum enclosure. It also means a 13.6-in. display in my test unit, a 2,5601,664-pixel resolution, two Thunderbolt 4, headphone, and one MagSafe 3 port.If you want more display space, youve got it: the M4 Air will run up to two external displays in addition to the built-in Mac display. Once again, this means it can be the heart of all kinds of complex professional tasks; if you want even more performance youll choose a MacBook Pro.So, is this a Pro Mac at a consumer price?Yes, and no. First, it is worth noting that Geekbench currently lists the current M4 MacBook Pro as delivering 3,750 single-core and 14,707 multicores, which basically means the new Air offers close to pro performance, but there are some compromises.Those compromises include a smaller display (compared to a 14.2-in. display), a slightly slower chip with significantly fewer CPU, and GPU cores than in the Pro, less memory and storage upper capacity, and battery life that is four hours shorter. (Youll get 22 hours from a 14-in. M4 MacBook Pro compared to 18 hours from the new Air.)The MacBook Pro also offers much higher memory bandwidth, which means it can handle tougher tasks.The differences basically come down to this: If you are doing computationally intensive work in any profession, youll want to go pro. But if you occasionally need to do something demanding youll be able to achieve it on a MacBook Air, though it might take a bit longer.So, if you have a need for the most robust professional tasks, you should go up the scale, and if you want something thats equal to most challenging tasks, and more than equal for most of the things most people use their computers for, then this is it. It is faster than other PCs in its class with outstanding battery life and speakers smart enough to wrap your ears in a cocoon of spatially balanced sound when you need it.That focus on the user has always been a hallmark of the Air line-up, and the experience of using this one remains just as compelling as it was when that first one jumped out of that brown envelope back in 2010 one of the best in its class.Buying adviceWere running out of superlatives. This is a significant upgrade to an already excellent machine and the addition of an M4 chip just means the worlds best-selling notebook is an even better value than before. I dont believe a PC that offers the combined appeal of these Macs really exists, which means that if you are in the market for a computer upgrade, you should certainly take a look at this. The M4 MacBook Air maintains Apples tradition of notebook excellence.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn, andMastodon.