MacBook Air reloaded with latest Intel Sandy Bridge processors, OS X Lion

Apple has announced the refresh for the MacBook Air range. The new MacBook Air gets the latest generation Sandy Bridge ultra-low voltage processors, Thunderbolt Input/Output technology, backlit keyboard and the new Operating System X Lion straight out of the box. The display sizes of 11-inch and 13-inch have been retained as such. However, the dual core Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5 (1.6GHz and 1.7GHz versions) and Intel Core i7 (1.8GHz) processors are now used to power these slim machines.

Intel’s HD 3000 graphics is used in the Air, in the absence of any dedicated graphics chip. Flash storage remains the interesting factor, with 3 storage capacity options offered which are 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. The lowest spec 11-inch display version comes with 2GB of RAM, but all versions above that, both in 11-inch and 13-inch displays, come with 4GB of RAM. We assume the second-generation Core i5 processors onboard are the 1.6GHz Core i5 2467M processor (2 cores, 4 threads, 3MB cache, Turbo up to 2.3GHz), and the 1.7GHz Core i5-2557M processor (2 cores, 4 threads, 3MB cache, Turbo up to 2.7GHz) with TDPs of just 17W can deliver the astounding battery life expected from the MacBook Air.  A 1.8GHz Core i7 processor can be selected if the laptop is built to order.

The MacBook Air also gets the Thunderbolt Input/Output technology, which has been introduced in the MacBook Pro in the last refresh. In terms of usability, the introduction of the backlit keyboard is more than welcome! This unique feature was not presented with the previous generation Air.

Apple promises that the 11-inch version will offer about 5 hours of battery life, and the 13-inch version offers morethan 7 hours of battery life. Some of the main attractions of the MacBook Air include FaceTime capabilities, 2 USB ports, Glass track pad with multi-touch gestures and a unibody design made of highly recyclable aluminum.

And yes, the new MacBook Air is available with the new OSX Lion straight out of the box. So there is no need for any updates later.