|
Title: Apple Says New MacBook Air Up to 23x Faster Than Intel-Based Model, But Read the Fine Print Post by: HCK on March 08, 2025, 04:05:03 pm Apple Says New MacBook Air Up to 23x Faster Than Intel-Based Model, But Read the Fine Print
Apple has a staggering marketing claim for the new MacBook Air (https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/05/apple-announces-new-macbook-air-with-m4-and-sky-blue-color-option/) with the M4 chip. (https://images.macrumors.com/article-new/2025/03/Apple-MacBook-Air-hero.jpg) Specifically, Apple says (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/03/apple-introduces-the-new-macbook-air-with-the-m4-chip-and-a-sky-blue-color/) the new MacBook Air is up to 23x faster than the last Intel-based model. However, there are some details in the fine print to be aware of. First, Apple said it compared a new 2025 MacBook Air with a 10-core M4 chip and 32GB of RAM to a 2020 MacBook Air with a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM. Both of the MacBook Air models were configured with a 2TB SSD. These are the best specifications that are or were available for each of these MacBook Air models. So, Apple compared the new model to the fastest-ever Intel-based MacBook Air. That's fair. (https://images.macrumors.com/article-new/2025/03/MacBook-Air-23x.jpg) Second, Apple said its test consisted of using the Super Resolution feature on a 4.4MB image in image editing app Pixelmator Pro — which it now owns (https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/11/apple-completes-pixelmator-acquisition/). The feature uses machine learning to increase the resolution of images, while preserving sharpness and details. So, the up to 23x faster performance claim is tied to quite a specific task. Here is what Apple's fine print says in full: Testing conducted by Apple in January 2025 using preproduction 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air systems with Apple M4, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 32GB of RAM, as well as production 1.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-based MacBook Air systems with Intel Iris Plus Graphics and 16GB of RAM, all configured with 2TB SSD. Tested using Super Resolution with Pixelmator Pro 3.6.14 and a 4.4MB image. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Air.What about other tasks? Apple provided some more comparisons: - Spreadsheet calculation performance in Microsoft Excel is up to 4.7x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air, and up to 1.6x faster than the 13-inch MacBook Air with M1.Those claims seem more realistic for most users. Ultimately, while the 23x claim might be overselling things a bit, it is true that any MacBook Air with an M1 chip or newer is dramatically faster than any Intel-based model. If you have been holding off on upgrading, you are in for a treat. You can pre-order the new MacBook Air now on Apple's online store, and it will begin arriving to customers on Wednesday, March 12.<div class="linkback">Related Roundup: MacBook Air (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook-air/)</div><div class="linkback">Buyer's Guide: 15" MacBook Air (Buy Now) (https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#15-MacBook-Air), 13" MacBook Air (Buy Now) (https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook_Air)</div><div class="linkback">Related Forum: MacBook Air (https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/macbook-air.122)</div> This article, "Apple Says New MacBook Air Up to 23x Faster Than Intel-Based Model, But Read the Fine Print (https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/06/m4-macbook-air-up-to-23x-faster-vs-intel/)" first appeared on MacRumors.com (https://www.macrumors.com) Discuss this article (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-says-new-macbook-air-up-to-23x-faster-than-intel-based-model-but-read-the-fine-print.2452243/) in our forums Source: Apple Says New MacBook Air Up to 23x Faster Than Intel-Based Model, But Read the Fine Print (https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/06/m4-macbook-air-up-to-23x-faster-vs-intel/) |