Apple's cheaper new MacBook Air is slower than 2018 model
Just last week, Apple refreshed its MacBook Air with a more vibrant True Tone display and cheaper price tag. The notebook costs Rs. 15,000 less than the original one, making a pretty good deal for college students and budget-focused buyers. However, as it turns out, Apple has traded a critical feature to keep its price on the lower side - speed. Here's how.
2019 MacBook Air features slower SSD
The folks at Consomac recently analyzed the new MacBook Air and noted a major tweak in Solid State Drive (SSD) configuration. They conducted a series of tests using the BlackMagic Disk Speed test tool and discovered the SSD of the new machine reads data at 1.3 GB/s, which is approximately 35% slower than that of 2018 MacBook Air.
Slower read speeds in all variants
Though the write speed of the new SSD is slightly faster (0.10 GB/s faster), the drop in read speeds was witnessed in all variants of the MacBook Air, regardless of storage speed.
Will this affect notebook performance
As many already know, a faster SSD cuts down the boot time of an OS and loads large files and apps more quickly. It contributes to performance, which means the new MacBook Air might be a tad slower than its predecessor. However, as 35% slower SSD doesn't translate directly into performance, it won't make much of a difference, at least under normal usage.
Is this a worthy trade off?
In our opinion, a slightly slower SSD in exchange for a better display and $100 price-cut seems like a worthy trade-off. But, it is still pretty strange to see a move like this from Apple. The company is normally upfront about the performance gains and losses in its upgraded products, be it a MacBook, iPod or something else.
New MacBook Air will be available from July 25
To note, Apple authorized resellers will start selling the new MacBook Air at a starting price of Rs. 99,900, July 25 onwards. But, the interesting bit is, Apple is also offering attractive discounts to students as part of its Back to School campaign. This means if you are getting into college, you can buy the base model of 2019 MacBook Air for Rs. 92,074.
