Apple MacBook Air 13-inch 2012

Apple makes the quintessential ultraportable notebook even better by giving the MacBook Air faster performance and longer battery life.

This year's MacBook Air opts for gradual improvements rather than anything revolutionary, but lowered prices continue to make it the go-to mainstream recommendation for any MacBook owner-to-be.

If you bought last year's Air, I'm not sure there's enough here to make you want to upgrade, but if you're in the market for a new laptop and don't need the power (or the price tag) of the new Pro, you'd be hard-pressed to do better than the Air.

The new Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid 2012) is a simple upgrade of the class-leading line, with a $100 price drop.

Basically, Apple's MacBook Air 13 2012 remains what it was – a very good subnotebook with a very high quality claim.

Apple has updated what was already one of the better ultraportable laptops on the market to keep it competitive, with a downright impressive set of specification upgrades and (in theory) some of the best connectivity going thanks to its dual USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt combination.