Overall, there's a lot to love about the 11-inch MacBook Air. Although this 2013 update doesn't bring a change in design or display, it does bring a substantial performance boost. This may be a small form notebook, but there's plenty of power to tackle your daily computing needs. ...

We were worried about that 1.3 GHz clock speed at first, but the Haswell processor proves more than a match for its faster-looking Ivy Bridge predecessor while nearly a day’s battery life. Combine that performance with the MacBook Air’s lightweight, elegant design and you’ve got an ultraportable laptop that still sets the standard for its Windows rivals to copy.

We were worried about that 1.3 GHz clock speed at first, but the Haswell processor proves more than a match for its faster-looking Ivy Bridge predecessor while nearly a day’s battery life. Combine that performance with the MacBook Air’s lightweight, elegant design and you’ve got an ultraportable laptop that still sets the standard for its Windows rivals to copy.

So there it is, the new lightweight the Californians slipped into their portfolio. It's pretty, though outwardly it's basically the same thing we've seen for years. But the computer's inner life is new, and here Apple makes use of Intel's most current technology. ...