7NEWS reviews the Apple MacBook Air M4 15-inch: Here's everything you need to know about the new model
If you're in the market for a new laptop and your go-to is always Apple, then it's highly likely that the new 15-inch MacBook Air M4 is high on your wishlist.
But if you haven't quite made up your mind and need a better understanding of the tech specs, we've done the hard work for you.
7NEWS' Tech Editor Shaun White got his hands on the new and noteworthy device, here are his honest thoughts.
At first glance, the MacBook Air M4 looks like a rerun. It has the same shape, same ports and yes you guessed it — the same screen. I thought it felt lighter, but it weighs exactly the same as the 2023 model, 1.51 kg.
But don't let the outside fool you. The real upgrade isn't something you can see. The new chip is about making everything it already does well, work better.
Those Apple tricks you've probably used for years, like using your iPad as a second screen, transferring files without thinking, or picking up where you left off on another device, they're not new, but now they're noticeably smoother and in my opinion more reliable.
There's no single standout feature to point to. Instead, the M4 chip quietly supercharges the tools you already use.
And the icing on the cake — it's cheaper!
What's Actually New in the MacBook Air M4?
M4 Chip: Apple's latest processor makes everything feel faster and more efficient, whether you're multitasking or just watching videos.
Up to 18-Hour Battery: One of the longest-lasting batteries in any laptop. Great for a full day of work, study, or streaming.
12MP Center Stage Camera: The upgraded webcam now follows your face to keep you centred during video calls.
Dual External Display Support: You can now plug in two monitors (if the laptop lid is closed), a first for MacBook Air.
New Sky Blue Colour: The new hero colour that joins the usual silver, starlight, and space grey.
Lower Price: Starts at $1,699 AUD (13-inch) and $2,099 (15-inch), cheaper than last year's models, despite the upgrades.
Still Ultra-Portable:
At 1.24 kg and just 11.3 mm thick, the M4 Air is built for mobility.
A Productivity Powerhouse
One of the biggest upgrades you can actually see is the new 12MP Center Stage camera. It automatically keeps you framed during video calls, even if you move around. I've used this on my iPad Pro for a while now because it feels really intuitive like you've got your own personal camera operator. In fact I avoided using the previous MacBook Air for FaceTime because it wouldn't let you do this. It is a noticeable upgrade for remote work including team calls.
But sometime I prefer a sharper shot. And the Phone 16 Pro Max can be used as a webcam thanks to Continuity Camera, a feature that's not new, but feels good with the M4 chip. I use the Belkin MagSafe Camera Mount, which attaches effortlessly and adjusts easily without feeling clunky.
You just bring your iPhone near your Mac, and it connects automatically. It just feels like the ecosystem is communicating better. Even the iPhone setup felt fast.
But for me, the multitasking tools, which have always been a strong point, feel like the glue sticks better with the M4 chip.
Universal Control: I'll often play back an interview on my Mac while using my iPad as a second screen to log quotes or write notes, still typing on the Mac, but seamlessly working across both devices.
Universal Clipboard: Copy a link, photo, or bit of text on your iPhone, paste it straight into a doc or message on your Mac. Handy for grabbing addresses or screenshots on the go.
Continuity & Handoff: Start replying to an email on your iPhone, then finish typing it on your MacBook Air without missing a beat. No need to resend, sync, or save drafts.
Sidecar: This lets you turn your iPad into a second monitor, but I tend to use Universal Control instead. Still, if you prefer a traditional dual-screen setup, it works well and feels smoother than before.
These aren't new features, but they feel newly dependable. And once you get used to working this fluidly across devices, it's hard to go back to anything else.
The Triple-Screen Upgrade
The M4 Air now supports two external displays with the lid closed, which is a big deal for anyone who works with multiple monitors. I prefer to use my iPad as a second screen with Universal Control or Sidecar which is great for casual multitasking.
But I can see how it's not the same as running two full-size, high-res external monitors which would be ideal for heavy editing. It's a long-overdue addition that brings the Air closer to that Pro-level usability without the Pro-level weight or price.
The biggest con, it looks and feels exactly the same as its predecessor. So I wouldn't be upgrading if that's your current setup. But anything older its definitely worth your consideration.
And let's not forget how light and durable it is with its aluminum unibody exterior. Which is perfect for anyone looking for portability.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Man of Many
a day ago
- Man of Many
How Dyson's ‘Problem-First' Mindset Keeps it Ahead of the Game
By Dean Blake - News Published: 4 June 2025 |Last Updated: 3 June 2025 Share Copy Link Readtime: 8 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. When you think of innovative companies—I mean truly innovative companies—there are really only a few that spring to mind. Apple, with its reinvention of the consumer electronics space during the Steve Jobs era, and Amazon's shift from redefining how we sell books online to how we sell everything online being two massive examples of what it takes to be considered an innovator in today's markets: and yet, I would say that when it comes to hardware innovation, few brands can stand toe-to-toe with Dyson. Between re-imagining the vacuum cleaner into a new industry standard of bagless, cyclonic devices that run smoother and are easier to operate—with the recent announcement of the PencilVac taking that concept to its natural conclusion: a broom with a vacuum in the brush head—the English-born business has also taken aim at other analogous industries ripe for new ideas: hair dryers and straighteners, air purifiers, and even headphones. What is it that ties all these efforts together? Simply put: it's a focus on problem-solving embedded deep in the DNA of the company. Dyson founder Sir James Dyson working in his studio | Image: Dyson Problems first, solutions second When Sir James Dyson initially invented the business' foundational cyclonic vacuum technology back in 1991, it wasn't out of some great brainwave or realisation that this was the future of consumer vacuums. Rather, it was due to his own personal frustration with the then-industry standard. See, the likes of vacuum technology almost 30 years ago were far less user-friendly. At the time, each vacuum needed a plastic, single-use bag to be attached, which would be filled up with dust and debris as you cleaned and then thrown away—destined for landfill. As an engineer, Dyson had grown frustrated by the need to constantly buy and refit vacuum bags while cleaning his workstation, and realised the need for something better. Remembering his time at a saw mill, and the large cyclonic cleaner used to clean the space as people worked, Dyson set about finding a way to take something absolutely massive (literally industrial in scale) and scale it down for consumer use. 5,126 failed prototypes later, the company and product we know and love today was born. Necessity, they say, is the mother of all invention, and to say this invention revolutionised the vacuum space is an understatement: try and find a vacuum cleaner that requires a bag these days and you'll find it impossible, and it comes down to one thing. Dyson saw a problem, solved it, and sold the solution—and this is still how the company operates today. Sir James Dyson with the Dyson PencilVac, showcasing the motor | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many ' exactly the same,' Sir James Dyson tells us. 'We're engineers and we want to develop technology and make better products using that technology, and that's exactly what we do today.' It is, in fact, the business' mission statement: a focus on solving the problems that others have ignored with technology and ingenuity. Part of that focus comes from the fact the business has never gone public. Rather than answer to a board of shareholders, Dyson (the company) really only answers to Dyson (the man) and its customers. 'We don't have a CEO that comes in to run the company and then leaves, and then a new CEO comes in and does things differently. It's the same old me with the same philosophy: not to get big or make money, but to make interesting products,' he says. The other key to Dyson's success is in having the space to create a culture of innovation within the company: fundamentally, it's a company-wide mindset that sets the business apart from its competition, Dyson's head of home Tom Moody explains. 'We have lots of creative and inventive people looking for new problems to solve, or creative ways they can apply themselves. I think that's what pushes us forward,' Moody says. ' has to solve a problem. In some places there might be a more clear 'here is what we want, go ahead and engineer it', but that's not the Dyson way. For us, it's more about 'here's what we discovered in our customers' homes', some frustrations they're facing, and giving our engineers the space to explore that. 'That gives them the latitude and license to create.' Dyson PencilVac | Image: Supplied Merging form and function You'd be forgiven for hearing all that and then thinking: well then why aren't Dyson's products over-engineered? In fact, Dyson's products often strike a near-perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality—delivering the performance and features you want from a vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, straightener, or air purification system, but in a package you're happy to showcase to friends and family. This largely comes from the company's focus on keeping all product staff involved in the product design process from the beginning. Moody notes that even at conceptual stages, engineers are often in contact with the brand's innovation department, as well as its design team, in order to ensure the company hits a balance between solving a problem and creating new ones. 'That ensures that we don't get to a stage later in a product's process where we say 'we've engineered a solution, but it's big, bulky, and it'd never be accepted by a customer',' he explains. 'We try to bake it in at an early stage during the design process.' And while it's rare, there are instances of the business putting the cart before the horse a little, and actively dictating the form of a product before the engineers have even had time to conceptualise a solution: case in point, the PencilVac. While Dyson made its name in miniaturising an industrial cyclonic cleaner into something customers could drag around their homes, its next bet is on cramming the concept of a vacuum into a simple tool: a broom. It's something Sir James Dyson has wanted to create for a while, but hadn't been able to crack the size-to-performance barrier: until now. Dyson PencilVac | Image: Supplied How did they do it? By throwing out their vacuum technology almost entirely, and leaning instead on the smaller motors used in the creation of their SuperSonic Hair Dryer products. While it's an upgraded and reinvented version of the V9 motor (now known as the Dyson Hyperdymium motor), it's fundamentally the same bit of tech used in the SuperSonic R, down to the size of the broom handle mimicking the size of the hair dryer exactly to ensure the motor functions as expected: 38 millimetres. No more, no less. 'James had long desired to create something that was in a very, very slim format and the size, 38 millimetres, is obviously very linked specifically to the enabling technology that we have,' Moody explains. 'We spent many years designing the V9 motor to try to get something to fit within that package, and so it's really an extension of that logic. It's something that's ergonomic and comfortable for our customers to use.' Dyson himself prefers it when engineering can dictate the solution, but admits it's sometimes preferable to have a more defined box to invent within. Necessity, again, is the mother of invention. 'Sometimes it's quite a good idea to have the form drive the function, rather than the other way around,' he says. 'With the PencilVac, the shape drove everything else because I wanted it to be like a broom. I wanted it to be very simple and easy to use. You can just grab it and there's no special grip or anything – it's just a completely natural tool. And that shape drove the technology.' Dyson PencilVac | Image: Supplied Keeping The Faith The PencilVac is, in a lot of ways, the final frontier for cleaning tech. It's hard to imagine a smaller vacuum still striking the right balance between usability and capability, but Sir Dyson already has eyes on smaller models: he just needs the tech to catch up. All of that doesn't mean anything if no one buys the products, though. While Dyson has entered a number of new categories, and intends to launch into more, it never bets on products being a huge success out of the gate. 'When you launch a new product you never know that you're going to sell it—I don't know that the PencilVac will sell well,' Dyson explains. 'It's all a risk, but if you stick to the principle that what you're trying to do is solve problems and make something easier to use, even if it's in a new category, you can make headway because you believe what you've done is a genuine improvement. 'You just have to have faith and hope it works.' Disclaimer: The author of this article, Dean Blake, was invited to test the Dyson PencilVac and talk to Sir James Dyson and Tom Moody at a Dyson event in Tokyo, Japan.
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Nvidia tops Microsoft, regains most valuable company title for first time since January
Nvidia passed Microsoft in market cap on Tuesday, once again becoming the most valuable publicly traded company in the world. Shares of the artificial intelligence chipmaker rose about 3 per cent on Tuesday to $US141.40 (AUD $218.80), and the stock has surged nearly 24 per cent over the past month as Nvidia's growth has persisted even through export control and tariff concerns. The company now has a $3.45 trillion market cap. Microsoft closed Tuesday with a $3.44 trillion market cap. Nvidia has been trading places with Apple and Microsoft at the top of the market cap ranks since last June. The last time Nvidia was the most valuable company was on January 24. Nvidia and other chip names boosted markets Tuesday. Broadcom rose per cent, and Micron Technology gained 4 per cent. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF, which tracks a basket of chip stocks, gained 2 per cent. Last week, Nvidia reported 96 cents in adjusted earnings per share on $44.06 billion in sales in its fiscal first quarter. That represented 69 per cent growth from the year-ago period, an incredible growth rate for a company as large as Nvidia. Nvidia's growth has been fuelled by its AI chips, which are used by companies including OpenAI to develop software such as ChatGPT. Companies including Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon, Oracle and xAI have been purchasing Nvidia's AI accelerators in massive quantities to build ever-larger clusters of computers for advanced AI work. Nvidia was founded in 1993 to produce chips for playing 3D games, but in recent years, it has taken off as scientists and researchers found that the same Nvidia chip designs that could render computer graphics were ideal for the kind of parallel processing needed for AI.
AU Financial Review
2 days ago
- AU Financial Review
Kelly Partners CEO and Buffett aficionado bypasses ASX with Twitter
What is it with boomer company founder's brains imploding when they get their hands on an iPhone with the X app installed? Brett Kelly, the founder and boss of ASX-listed accountancy Kelly Partners Group, is the latest example.
