Apple isn't redesigning the MacBook Air, but it just got a major boost that won't cost you extra

(Image credit: Future)

Hidden among all the new M4 Mac mini and MacBook Pro news is a tantalizing tidbit about one of our favorite laptops, the MacBook Air. Apple has doubled the base memory of the existing M2 and M3 MacBook Airs, from 8GB to 16GB of unified memory while not raising the price.

This is good news, because while we loved the MacBook Air M3, our chief criticism was that Apple neglected to upgrade the base memory from the previous M2 model.

The bigger surprise here is that Apple is treating memory like a relatively cheap commodity, and not raising the price of the laptops to accommodate it. The M2 MacBook Air will still start at $999 / £999 / AU$1,599 for the 13-inch model, and the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air will start at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799. The 15-inch M3 Air will also get the RAM boost, going from 8GB to 16GB for the same $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,199 starting price. The new lineup is effective now, with the 8G Airs no longer available from Apple.

But why?

Perhaps Apple is being generous, but the more likely reason is that the new base requirement for MacBooks running Apple Intelligence (Apple's brand of generative AI) is no longer 8GB. Apple's efforts to run as much of the large language and image models as possible on board could strain an 8GB base system significantly, bit 16GB should offer enough headroom for basic, creative, pro, and AI tasks.

Apple Intelligence support aside, doubling the RAM solidifies its position as one of the best laptops. Furthermore, it puts this 13-inch portable on par, memory-wise, with our top pick for the best laptop, Microsoft's Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC, which starts with 16GB of RAM for $999 / £1,049.99 / AU$1,899. If you add Apple Intelligence to the mix, we will have a head-to-head competition between the best AI Microsoft offerings and Apple's still relatively untested AI entry.

All Apple silicon-class MacBook Air models can run Apple Intelligence, even our beloved MacBook Air M1, but that now-discontinued model is stuck at 8GB. One might assume that the new M2 and M3 MacBook Air laptops will be even more efficient Generative AI-capable systems.

There's no word from Apple for now on when we might see an M4 chip in the MacBook Air.

The new 16GB MacBook Airs are all on sale right now through Apple, with not an 8GB model in sight. I would keep an eye on Best Buy and other retailers to see if they reduce the price on remaining 8GB inventories.

A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.