by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

At prolonged, prolonged last, the Macbook Air has been updated. But if you were hoping for sufficient CPU muscle in a new models to keep the garland of Flash-addled webpages from bringing a entire moveable to its knees, afterwards you’re going to be sorely unhappy — the Core 2 Duo is still with us in a new models. In actuality, the 11-inch Macbook Air essentially trails its prototype in clockspeed, whilst a 13-inch model hasn’t altered during all.

Given which Apple really went all-out to ascent a rest of the Air package, a choice of the geriatric CPU is the hulk slap in a face to Intel’s latest portable processor options. Apple looked during Arrandale, Intel’s 32nm CPU with the northbridge/GPU combo integrated into a same package, as well as said, “No interjection, though do you have any some-more of a really aged chips?” Ouch.

We hate to contend you told you so, but you told you so — twice, even.

When Intel denounced a Arrandale ULV parts for ultraportables the couple of months behind, it was viewable which they were not destined for a Macbook Air. The problem wasn’t so much a CPU partial of Arrandale — even though a ULV various is indeed insufficient in the cache as well as clockspeed departments when compared to the Core 2 Duo — a complaint is the GPU.

The multicore GPU integrated into the NVIDIA 320M handily spanks the (admittedly softened Intel integrated graphics glued onto a Core i-series processors. And it’s additionally concordant with OpenCL, something Intel has yet to await in its IGPs. Apple argued which a improved graphics energy of a 320M was some-more critical than softened CPU estimate energy when conceptualizing a new 13-inch MacBook Pro refurbish — that same logic (though you may remonstrate with a preference still relates here.

That’s not a usually complaint. The dual-chip packages are considerably incomparable than a small-outline packages for the low-voltage Core 2 Duos originally introduced on a initial MacBook Air. Even with a integrated northbridge as well as GPU, Arrandale processors still need the apart controller. The combination simply couldn’t fit upon a MacBook Air’s diminutive logic house. Instead of giving up room to shoehorn in updated processors, Apple instead chose to urge a MacBook Air’s battery capacity. With 7 hours of promised holdup without any need for an outmost battery, it can be argued that this is the utilitarian trade-off.

Finally, we have to cruise a 11-inch MacBook Air. While the bigger brother offers the 1.86-GHz or 2.13-GHz CPU, the not as big kin is left with only 1.4-GHz or 1.6-GHz options. The reason for the disproportion here is elementary: thermal pattern. The slower processors time in during just 10W TDP (7W reduction than those used in a 13-inch models) creation it most simpler to cold the inside of a tiny 11.6-inch surrounding.

The combination of Core 2 Duo processor as well as NVIDIA 320M graphics is some-more absolute than a Atom as well as Intel IGP combo used in notebooks of identical distance. While a little comparable ultraportables use newer Arrandale chips in them, many also price significantly more than a revised MacBook Air models. Apple motionless to trade maximum opening for increasing battery holdup as well as portability as well as still offer the reduce cost than a prior generation. Whether that tradeoff is value it (and we’ll be checking this as you examination the brand-new models) is up to users to decide.

This story creatively appeared on Ars Technica.

Photo by Brian X. Chen / Wired.com.