MacBook Air 2012 vs MacBook Air 2013: Spec Showdown

By Brandon Widder Published June 10, 2013

macbook-air-vs — Image used with permission by copyright holder

As expected, Apple unveiled the new Haswell-powered MacBook Air at at its World Wide Developers Conference conference today, flaunting the latest enhancements to the notebook that essentially launched the current Ultrabook craze. It’s not a complete overhaul, but the new system specs offer some noteworthy improvements over the 2012 model, offering improved performance but lacking the much-rumored Retina display we were all hoping for. Check out our spec comparison below for a quick look at how the new 13-inch MacBook Air stacks up against it’s predecessor.

	2012 MacBook Air (13-inch) Image used with permission by copyright holder	2013 MacBook Air (13-inch) Image used with permission by copyright holder
Dimensions	12.8” x 8.94” x 0.68”	12.8” x 8.94” x 0.68”
Weight	2.96 pounds	2.96 pounds
Keyboard	Backlit w/ ambient light sensor	Backlit w/ ambient light sensor
Processor	1.8GHz Intel Dual-core i5-3427U	1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Haswell)
RAM	4GB DDR3L SDRAM	4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Intel HD Graphics 5000
Screen Size	13.3″ (non-touch)	13.3″ (non-touch)
Resolution	1440 x 900	1440 x 900
Storage	128GB SSD	128GB SSD
Networking	802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports	Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 x 2, SD memory card reader	Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, SDXC card reader
Webcam	720p HD webcam	720p HD webcam
Operating System	Mac OS X Mountain Lion	Mac OS X Mountain Lion
Battery Life	7 hours	12 hours
Price	$1,200	$1,100

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Apple claims the new Haswell chip will extend battery life from seven to 12 hours on a single charge, while the new GPU and quicker graphics processor will ramp up performance beyond the capabilities of earlier models. The 1440 x 900 resolution display remains the same, but other feaures — such as flash and the 802.11ac Wi-Fi — will see dramatic speed improvements.

Apple also dropped the price of the new Air by $100 across all models, but is Apple’s refresh really enough? For those who already own a MacBoo Air, the longer battery life and faster processor are probably not enough to justify buying a new Air.

What do you think? Are you excited for the new MacBook Air, or do you simply feel let down? Let us know in the comments below.

Former Senior Editor, Living Articles

Brandon Widder is a multimedia journalist and a staff writer for Digital Trends where he covers technology news, how-to…

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