Apple revealed a MacBook with a powerful M5 chip and a higher price. For the strongest Pro, you need $7,400

MacBook Air: twice as much memory for a hundred dollars more

The most popular laptop in the world, the MacBook Air, received a significant upgrade in the form of the new M5, which is available in 13-inch and 15-inch models. The main advantage of the new generation is the dramatic acceleration of performance, especially for tasks that rely on artificial intelligence. According to claims from Apple, the M5 chip enables up to four times faster AI performance compared to the previous M4 generation and up to 9.5 times faster compared to the M1 chip.

One of the most important changes for users is the doubling of the initial storage capacity. The base model of the MacBook Air now comes standard with a 512 GB SSD, instead of the previous 256 GB. This change is accompanied by an increase in the starting price of the 13-inch model to $1,099, which is a hundred dollars more than before. However, this price adjustment actually represents a better deal for buyers who were aiming for more capacity anyway, as the previous M4 version with 512GB of storage cost $1,199. The new models bring other technical innovations, including support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 thanks to Apple’s new N1 wireless chip, and the color palette has been expanded with a new “sky blue” shade.

MacBook Pro becomes even more powerful, but also more expensive

The line of notebooks for professionals also received the expected upgrade with even more powerful versions of the M5 – M5 Pro and M5 Max. These čips bring an architecture that, according to Apple, was created to redefine the limits of what is possible on professional notebooks. The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with a basic M5 chip, 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD now costs $1,699.

John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering at Apple, said that the new models bring a revolution in performance.

​- MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips redefines what is possible on a professional laptop, now with up to four times faster performance compared to the previous generation – it is stated in the official announcement.

Models equipped with the M5 Pro čip now come standard with at least one terabyte of storage, double the 512GB in many previous base configurations. Prices, as expected, increase with performance, so the 14-inch model with the M5 Pro chip starts at $2,199, while the 16-inch version starts at $2,699.

Get the best model for $7349

For the most demanding users, Apple has offered a configuration that pushes the limits. A fully equipped 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Max chip, a maximum of 128 GB of unified memory, 8 TB of SSD storage, and a nano-textured display reaches a price of $7,349. Although this is an extremely high amount for the consumer market, it is in line with the prices of competing professional workstations from companies such as Dell, HP and Lenovo. What’s particularly interesting is that Apple hasn’t raised prices for unified memory upgrades, despiteč the global shortage and drastic price growth of DRAM and NAND chips on the world market.

Focus on artificial intelligence and familiar design

The entire series of M5 čips is designed with a clear focus on artificial intelligence. The biggest innovation is the addition of a dedicated “Neural Accelerator” in each core of the graphics processor (GPU), which enables a drastic acceleration of the AI ​​process directly on the device. On the other hand, the external design of the notebook remained almost unchanged, retaining the recognizable aluminum look. The software base is the new macOS Tahoe, which brings a refreshed “Liquid Glass” visual style and expanded capabilities of the Apple Intelligence system. All new models are also equipped with a 12 MP Center Stage camera and support for the latest connectivity standards.