Apple updates MacBook Air with faster chips, cuts price

Driving the news: Both new computers are set to be available for preorder Wednesday, with devices shipping next week.

MacBook Air

• The new M4 chip has a 10-core CPU and up to 10-core GPU which Apple says can make the M4 up to twice as fast as the M1 model.
• Beyond the faster processor, the laptop now supports up to two external displays and it comes in a new "sky blue" (aka light blue) color option.
• The 13-inch model starts at $999 ($899 for education buyers) and the 15-inch model starts at $1,199 ($999 for education), both $100 price drops.

Mac Studio

• The new Mac Studio comes with either the M4 Max processor or, at the higher end, an M3 Ultra chip.
• M4 Max-powered systems come with at least 36GB of memory, while M3 Ultra-based Studios come with 96GB of unified memory. With support for up to 512GB of unified memory, Apple says the M3 Ultra-based Mac Studio can run AI models with up to 600 billion parameters entirely in memory.

• Apple says it won't create ultra versions of all its chip generations because of the longer design times. That's why the Mac Studio gets an M3 Ultra instead of an M4 Ultra.
• The Mac Studio starts at $1,999 ($1,799 for education buyers).