Apple Intelligence is now on the tech giant's most popular laptop: the MacBook Air. And the company also decided to make the new M4 version even more budget-friendly.
Apple is not the market leader when it comes to the computer market – it ranks fourth behind Dell, HP and leader Lenovo – but its dedicated followers always look forward to anything new, no matter how token the changes are.
With the new price-point, at entry-level iPhone territory, Apple is likely aiming to lure more users into its fold. The National takes a look at the device.
What is new in the M4 MacBook Air?
Compared to the souped-up iPhone 16e and the conservatively upgraded M3 iPad Air, the M4 MacBook Air is in the middle, with a number of key upgrades:
While staying put in terms of design, Apple added two cores to the M4 MacBook Air's CPU, in addition to now having the option of boosting its RAM up to 32GB. The last one is notable, considering the lower price points Apple is now offering for the device.
The main reason for these is the latest M4 chip. Obviously, it is an improvement from the M3, but the standout figure from Apple's newest silicon processor is the ability of its 16-core neural engine to crunch 38 trillion processes per second, which is a 111 per cent boost from the M3.
As for what you can see on the exterior, nothing has changed. The two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports and MagSafe 3 port remain on the left, while the 3.5mm audio cave is on the right.
Performance: What you would expect
According to Apple, the M4 MacBook Air is capable of spreadsheet calculations that are nearly five times faster, video editing up to eight times quicker and photo editing up to 3.6 times faster, in addition to web browsing up to 60 per cent faster.
Such improvements are widely expected when it comes to new devices. But, quite frankly, that's about it. We might be circling back to what we saw in the M3 iPad Air, which came with token upgrades, another go at Adobe Photoshop and Final Cut Pro, plus the Resident Evil 4 remake for good measure, to prove to ourselves what we expected: smooth graphics and rendering. We do appreciate the console-quality graphics while Leon Kennedy fights off hordes of infected foes.
Of course, Apple Intelligence remains a key selling point. It helps you go about your activity by improving your writing, organising mails and media, and generating images, among other uses.
How long does battery last?
Apple says the M4 MacBook Air's battery life remains at up to 18 hours, on par with all M models dating back to 2020 (but significantly up from the last non-M device, also in that year).
That's actually more than enough to go about your work, play and entertainment for the day. A good mix of use brought us all the way to early evening. In our one-hour YouTube-at-full-brightness test, the device lost 11 per cent, continuing an improving trend from the M2 and M3 versions.
Verdict
We've established for a long time that spec upgrades are big talking points for new devices. The Apple M4 MacBook Air does have that, but admittedly not much. The sometimes-overlooked factor here is the price – and that is the device's biggest draw.
Is it a big price decrease? It is Dh600 less than the M3 version, but looking further into the past, the price of the latest MacBook Air is down by about a fifth compared to the M2 version. This means that you can get a MacBook and an iPhone at prices not far from each other. It goes lower for students and teachers.
This is a move by Apple to lure in more users, plain and simple. And we reckon that, by extension, it may also entice non-iPhone users to make the switch.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Teaching in coronavirus times
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
