Apple MacBook Air updated with the latest Haswell processor

Apple updated its line of MacBook Air computers Tuesday with speedier processors, longer battery life, and lower price points. The MacBook Air moves up to Intel's Haswell chips, and the entire lineup sees price points dropped by $100. Now, MacBook Air entry-level model will be available at $899.

The 11-inch MacBook Air with 128GB of storage, and the 13-inch model have been improved with a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Haswell processor. Earlier the models had 1.3 GHz processor. Apart from this, Apple has also boosted battery performance of the MacBook Air 13-inch, and has promised up to 12 hours of usage.

Aside from the revised processors, there is little difference in the 2014 MacBook Air line, with Intel HD 5000 graphics and 4GB of RAM still present alongside the same, sleek, brushed aluminium body. What’s more, despite the slight specs bump, the 2014 MacBook Air range has not been subjected to a price hike. In fact prices have dropped. With last year's entry level MacBook Air setting wannabe owners back £849, prices now start from £749, a saving of £100. These savings continue throughout the range with the top end model now costing £999.

"With MacBook Air starting at $899, there's no reason to settle for anything less than a Mac," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said in a press release. "Macs have never been more popular, and today we've boosted the performance and lowered the price of MacBook Air so even more people can experience the perfect everyday notebook."

The timing for the update is curious. Apple typically updates its portables in June, often during its Worldwide Developers Conference. This year's WWDC is scheduled to kick off June 2. Last year, Apple unveiled an updated MacBook Air and updated MacBook Pros. Many are hoping to see updated hardware again this year, but Tuesday's announcement throws a bit of cold water on hopes for redesigned MacBook Airs.

Separate reports suggest that Apple plans to launch an entirely new portable at this year's WWDC. The device in question is thought to offer a 12-inch Retina Display (actual resolution unknown). The 13-inch MacBook Air's 1,400 x 900-pixel screen doesn't even qualify as a full HD panel, and many are hoping Apple makes the big jump to Retina with its next-generation ultra-portables.