Apple's new MacBook Air models rolling out this week

Apple will officially release its updated MacBook Air models later in the week.

The tech giant said Apple Store locations and authorized resellers will sell the latest iterations of its 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops featuring its M3 chip beginning Friday.

The 13-inch M3-equipped MacBook Air will have a starting price tag of $1,099, according to Apple. The 15-inch’s starting price has been set at $1,299. 

The iPhone maker has already started taking preorders.

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"MacBook Air is our most popular and loved Mac, with more customers choosing it over any other laptop," Apple Worldwide Marketing Senior Vice President Greg Joswiak said. "And today it gets even better with the M3 chip and new capabilities."

Apple said the M3 chip makes the MacBook Air "up to 60 percent faster than the model with the M1 chip and up to 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air." They have Liquid Retina displays.

It also touted the new MacBook Air as the "world’s best consumer laptop for AI." It pointed to the Neural Engine in the M3 chip as well as CPU and GPU accelerators.

Some new features include "support for up to two external displays and up to 2x faster Wi-Fi than the previous generation," according to the company.

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Apple said the batteries in the new MacBook Airs can last up to 18 hours.

The pair of new MacBook Airs come just a few months after Apple rolled out new iMac and MacBook Pros with M3 chips. They also join the growing list of recent products the company has launched, including the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9 and Vision Pro headset.

In the first quarter of Apple’s fiscal year, the Mac segment and its $7.78 billion in net sales represented roughly 6.5% of the tech giant's overall net sales. Its iPhone net sales, at $69.7 billion for the quarter, made up the largest portion.

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