Apple’s redesigned MacBook Air ships with M5 chip and on-device AI – Startup Fortune
Apple’s redesigned MacBook Air ships with M5 chip and on-device AI – Startup Fortune
https://startupfortune.com/apples-redesigned-macbook-air-ships-with-m5-chip-and-on-device-ai/
Publish Date: 2026-05-16 04:34:00
Source Domain: startupfortune.com
Apple has refreshed the MacBook Air with the M5 chip, bigger base storage, and deeper on‑device AI features that shift more intelligence from cloud to the laptop.
Apple unveiled the redesigned MacBook Air on March 2, 2026, bringing its M5 system-on-chip to the company’s most popular laptop and making on-device AI a headline feature, according to Apple’s announcement and subsequent reporting by Reuters and Bloomberg.
The new MacBook Air uses Apple’s M5 chip, which the company positions as a step forward for local AI and everyday performance, with a 10‑core CPU and up to a 10‑core GPU and Neural Accelerator capability that Apple says accelerates AI tasks substantially compared with the M4 generation, according to Apple’s newsroom post and coverage in MacRumors. Apple also raised the Air’s base SSD to 512GB, a change noted in the company release and in Reuters’ coverage, which emphasized that the new starting configuration doubles the previous base storage and arrives at a $1,099 entry price for the 13‑inch model.
Alongside the silicon and storage upgrades, Apple bundled updated hardware that supports the AI push: a 12MP Center Stage camera, a three‑mic array, and Wi‑Fi 7 support via a new N1 wireless chip in some reports, features highlighted by technical outlets and product reviews that describe the Air as more capable for content creation and video communication than prior entries.
Why on‑device AI matters
Apple framed the M5 not just as a raw performance upgrade but as a platform for “Apple Intelligence,” the company’s suite of on‑device AI features rolled into macOS, which moves more model inference and private processing onto the laptop rather than routing everything through cloud servers, as Apple explained in its launch materials and as TechCrunch noted in its coverage of Apple’s AI positioning.
That matters for two reasons. First, on‑device AI reduces latency and keeps sensitive data local, which appeals to…
