MacBook Air Notebooks with Core i5 & i7 May Arrive on July 19th

At this point it is pretty much a given that the MacBook Air with Sandy Bridge processors will launch alongside Mac OS X Lion in July. Now, according to sources at 9to5Mac and AppleNApps we will see the new MacBook Air models and OS X Lion both launching on July 19th.

 

MacBook Air

The MacBook Air is likely to be updated in July

 

Multiple sources are confirming that the July 19th date is an internal target for Apple to deliver the latest OS X operating system and the new MacBook Air notebooks which are expected to become the most popular MacBooks Apple sells.

What to Expect on the new MacBook Air Notebooks

The new MacBook Air notebooks will use 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 and Core i5 processors with Intel HD 3000 graphics and support the new Thunderbolt connection for high-speed connectivity to displays and storage accessories. 9to5Mac reports that the new MacBook Air notebooks will likely use the following processor options.

  • Core i7-2677M: 2 cores, 1.8GHz (turbos to 2.9GHz), 4MB cache, 17 watts
  • Core i7-2637M: 2 cores, 1.7GHz (turbos to 2.8GHz), 4MB cache, 17 watts
  • Core i5-2557M: 2 cores, 1.7GHz (turbos to 2.7GHz), 3MB cache, 17 watts

The processor options are designed specifically to power ultraportable notebooks like the MacBook Air. Based on what we know about these processors we expect to see a boost in performance without a significant hit tot he battery life of the MacBook Air.

This MacBook Air update won’t likely include a change in appearance, focusing on the specs and performance of Apple’s ultraportable and on the new OS X Lion operating system.

Should You Upgrade to a New MacBook Air?

If you already have a MacBook Air from last October you may be tempted to upgrade when the latest and greatest models come out this July. Right now the jury is still out on upgrading. We anticipate a noticeable boost in performance, but whether or not you should sell your current MacBook Air for a small loss to upgrade will depend on what you do with your MacBook Air. If you don’t routinely tax your computer you may be better off sticking with your current MacBook Air, from a dollars and sense standpoint.

If you are upgrading from an older system or from a Windows notebook, make sure you wait for the new systems to arrive before you buy  MacBook Air. The next few weeks may seem to go by slowly, but it will be worth the wait to get OS X Lion, Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt connectivity.

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