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Hate the notch? Too bad, it’s on the new M2 MacBook Air

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Promotional logo for WWDC 2023.
This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage

Apple has launched a new version of the MacBook Air at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The announcement comes after many months of speculation, finally putting to bed an endless round of rumors that a new lightweight laptop was under development in Apple’s secret labs.

The laptop comes with a number of brand-new features. It is powered by the M2 chip, the first in a new generation of Apple Silicon chips that Apple says is much faster than its M1 predecessor.

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The M2 MacBook Air sitting on a desk.
Apple MacBook Air M2
A person holding the M2 MacBook Air in their hand.
The M2 MacBook Air sitting on a desk.

The chassis was completely redesign, with a much flatter design than the familiar wedge shape, which is absent for the first time in the device’s history. Apple says it cut volume by 20% over the previous MacBook Air.

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Before the event, it was heavily expected that the new MacBook Air would come in a similar range of colors as the 24-inch iMac. However, a few days before WWDC, notable tipsters Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo both put the brakes on that idea, instead claiming a more reserved palette of silver, space gray, starlight, and midnight blue. In the end, Gurman and Kuo proved correct, with Apple opting to leave the iMac as the most colorful Mac on offer.

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MagSafe has made a return, and there are two Thunderbolt ports. The headphone jack is also present.

The redesigned MacBook Air at WWDC 2022.

You’ll get up to 18 hours of video playback, with fast-charging capabilities for the first time. It also has the same silent, fanless operation as the M1 MacBook Air.

Elsewhere, Apple drastically slimmed down the MacBook Air’s bezels, leaving it with a “notch” cutout for the new 1080p webcam, and a larger 13.6-inch display. It appears the notch is now a brand of sorts for Apple, as every current laptop sold by the company comes with this eye-catching (and divisive) visual touch. The display also hits 500 nits, making it brighter than before.

MacBook Pro

Apple also updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip. It brings 40% faster gaming than the previous generation.

There’s up to 24GB of unified memory and 3x faster process transcoding. As for battery life, you’ll get up to 20 hours.

The MacBook Pro starts at $1,299, while the MacBook Air begins at $1,199.

This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information is announced.

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Alex Blake
Alex Blake
Computing Writer
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