discontinued line of portable Apple computers

The Early 2015 MacBook Air (MBA) gets another speed bump, gains Thunderbolt 2, and is rated at 12 hours in the field – and if you don’t use your MBA regularly, it has 30 days of standby power.

Built around 5th-generation low-power Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, the Early 2015 MBA has Intel HD Graphics 6000.

The standard CPU is a 1.6 GHz Core i5 with Turbo Boost to 2.7 GHz, and you can configure it with a 2.2 GHz Core i7 that has a 3.2 GHz Turbo Boost speed. That could boost performance nearly 50%!

Specs (via Low End Mac)

• Cpu: 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost to 2.7 GHz), 2.2 GHz i7 option (3.2 GHz Turbo Boost)
• Bus: 1066 MHz
• Ram: 4 GB, 8 GB  $100 build-to-order option
• Hard Drive: 128/256 GB solid state drive (SSD) standard
• Vram: uses up to 1.5 GB of system memory
• Display: 13.3″ glossy 1440 x 900 135 ppi color active matrix supports 1440 x 900, 1280 x 800, 1152 x 640, and 1024 x 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 x 768 and 800 x 600 at 4:3 aspect ratio allows mirroring to external display and extended desktop mode
• Ethernet: via Thunderbolt adapter
• Usb: 2 USB 3.0 ports
• Firewire: via Thunderbolt adapter
• Weight: 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)
• Level 2 Cache: 3 MB in i5, 4 MB in i7
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 6000, supports extended desktop.
• Video Out: Thunderbolt (to 2560 x 1600 resolution)
• Ssd: PCIe-based
• Superdrive: optional external USB drive
• Thunderbolt 2: 1 port
• Wifi: 802.11ac AirPort Extreme built in
• Modem: No longer offered by Apple
• Bluetooth: BT 4.0 built in
• Expresscard/34 Slots: none
• Sd Card Slot: SDXC
• Expansions Bays: none
• Ir Port: none
• Webcam: FaceTime 720p HD camera
• Battery: 54 Watt-hour, 12 hours of wireless productivity
• Ac Adapter: 45W MagSafe 2
• Size: 8.94x 12.8 x 0.11-0.68″ (227 x 325 x 3.0-17 mm)
• Closed Lid Mode:  All Intel ‘Books support “lid closed” (or clamshell) mode, which leaves the built-in display off and dedicates all video RAM to an external display. To used closed lid mode, your ‘Book must be plugged into the AC adapter and connected to an external display and a USB or Bluetooth mouse and keyboard (you might also want to consider external speakers). Power up your ‘Book until the desktop appears on the external display and then close the lid. Your ‘Book will go to sleep, but you can wake it by moving the mouse or using the keyboard. The built-in display will remain off, and the external monitor will become your only display. Since all video RAM is now dedicated to the external monitor, you may have more colors available at higher resolutions. The MacBook Air is designed to run safely in closed lid mode, but if yours runs hot (perhaps due to overclocking or high ambient temperatures), you may want to open the lid when in closed lid mode: The screen will remain off and the computer will more readily vent heat from the CPU.