Essential Apple User Magazine - UK (2020-04)

The New MacBook Air

The keyboard design in recent Mac notebook

computers has been problematic, with their butterfly

mechanisms proving unreliable. In response, Apple

has redesigned its keyboards using a scissor

mechanism, with the new design first appearing on

the 16-inch MacBook Pro in November of last year.

This new keyboard is introduced to the MacBook

Air with the 2020 model.

The redesigned scissor mechanism delivers

1mm of key travel, providing a comfortable and

stable typing experience,

while the new inverted-’T’

arrangement for the arrow

keys makes them easier to find

without looking down.

Off the shelf, the previous generation of MacBook Airs had

128GB or 256GB of storage. With the current generation,

this has doubled to 256GB or 512GB. Once again, it’s fast,

reliable solid-state storage rather than a hard drive. If you

need even more storage space, order online on Apple’s

website and configure it to up to 2TB. You must do this when

you buy, though; the SSD’s chips are soldered onto the

board, so you can’t swap your storage drive for a bigger one

after you’ve bought the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Air comes with Apple’s custom-

designed T2 Security Chip, which checks that

software loaded during the boot process hasn’t

been tampered with and provides on-the-fly

data encryption for everything stored on the

SSD. The T2 also protects Touch ID information,

so whether customers are unlocking their Mac,

entering an online password, or making online

purchases, their information stays safe.

There’s a three-mic array for more clear voice

capture, and the advanced stereo speakers are

great for FaceTime calls with friends and family.

Apple’s famous Force Touch trackpad also

gives you precise cursor control and multi-touch

navigation.

The MacBook Air boasts two Thunderbolt 3 ports

for charging, data transfer and video output. You

can connect your notebook to an external display of

up to 6K, a first for MacBook Air.

8 | http://www.bdmpublications.com

A New Keyboard

Bigger Storage

Drives

More Great Features

The new keyboards feature a scissor

mechanism and a return to the

inverted-’T’ shape for the arrow keys.

Increased storage space means there’s even

more room for your photos and videos.

The new MacBook Air’s three-mic

array and advanced stereo speakers

make FaceTime chats even more fun.

Processor 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3 1.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i

Turbo Boost Up to 3.2GHz Up to 3.5GHz

Graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics

Storage 256GB PCIe-based SSD 512GB PCIe-based SSD

Memory

Battery

Battery life: Internet surfing

Battery life: Movie streaming

Battery life: Standby

Camera

Wi-Fi

Bluetooth

Height

Width

Depth

Weight

AppleUserMAGAZINE //Inbox

18 Essential AppleUser Magazine | Issue Thirteen