Leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, proudly announces its latest flagship motherboard, the Z490 AQUA to the delight of gamers and power hungry users alike. And to highlight our launch we are limiting the Z490 AQUA to only 999 units making it extremely valuable. Using the latest 16 Phase 90 A Dr.MOS & 2 oz copper PCBs, it delivers up to 95% VRM efficiency. To keep VRM's and 10-core processors cool even during sustained heavy loads or even overclocking, the Z490 AQUA features an advanced water cooling system that decreases heat on the CPU VRMs to reduce VRM temps dramatically.

Decked in a matte black undershell, the Z490 complements what young gamers want in a machine these days, simple, refined edges encased with a metallic armor which highlights the vibrant, techno LED lighting which screams I'm a water cooling aficionado and a PC mod enthusiast. "Be Aqua, Be Cool" highlights ASRock's determination to be the frontrunner in water-cooled gaming motherboard manufacturers and the PCIe 4.0 ready means it's prepped and the hardware is ready with PCI-Express Gen-4 support. By uniquely adding an external base clock generator, PCIe 4.0 components such as extra slots and an M.2 socket we're assured the motherboard is ready to accommodate the next generation of CPUs.

The graphics cards of the near-future could see a gradual phase out of standard-size DisplayPorts in favor of USB 4, starting 2021, according to a CNET report. Within the USB standard, the type-C port could see a significant growth in proliferation, and a possible phase-out of type-A ports, beginning with notebooks. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), had in Q3-2019 announced the USB 4.0 specification, with development of the first implementations of the standard underway.

According to the CNET report, some time in 2021, USB 4.0 type-C ports could include DisplayPort 2.0 wiring, enabling 8K and 16K displays with a single cable. USB 4.0 will also make significant strides in other directions, such as support for 40 Gbps bandwidth (80 Gbps in x2 mode). It also implements tunneling technology carried over from the Thunderbolt specification, allowing you to daisy-chain devices (such as plugging in an external hard drive to a USB 4 monitor).

Intel today launched its 10th generation Core desktop processor family and its companion Intel 400-series chipsets. Based on the 14 nm++ silicon fabrication process and built in the new LGA1200 package, the processors are based on the "Comet Lake" microarchitecture. The core design of "Comet Lake" and its IPC are identical to those of "Skylake," however Intel brought significant enhancements to the processor's clock-speed boosting algorithm, increased core- or thread counts across the board, and introduced new features that could interest enthusiasts and overclockers. The uncore component remains largely unchanged from the previous-generation, with support for DDR4 memory and PCI-Express gen 3.0. Use of these processors requires a new socket LGA1200 motherboard, they won't work on older LGA1151 motherboards. You can install any LGA115x-compatible cooler on LGA1200, provided it meets the thermal requirements of the processor you're using.

At the heart of the 10th generation Core processor family is a new 10-core monolithic processor die, which retains the same basic structure as the previous-generation 8-core "Coffee Lake Refresh" die, and 4-core "Skylake." The cores are arranged in two rows, sandwiched by the processor's uncore and iGPU blocks. A ring-bus interconnect binds the various components. The cache hierarchy is unchanged from previous generations as well, with 32 KB each of L1I and L1D caches; 256 KB of dedicated L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The iGPU is the same Gen 9.5 based UHD 630 graphics. As we mentioned earlier, much of Intel's innovation for the 10th generation is with the processor's microcode (boosting algorithms).

Here are some of the first pictures of ASRock's upcoming socket LGA1200 motherboards based on the Intel Z490 chipset, courtesy VideoCardz. The selection of pics reveal the company's flagship Z490 motherboard to be the Z490 Taichi, with its elaborate CPU VRM solution that pulls power from a pair of 8-pin EPS connectors, a metal shroud covering most of the board, including the heatsinks over the three M.2 slots and the PCH; and an elaborate CPU VRM heatsink assembly. Connectivity options include 2.5 GbE, 802.11ax, and preparation for Thunderbolt. The company is planning two other flagship models, the Z490 Phantom Gaming X and the Z490 Aqua.

The next best motherboard in this photo dump is the Z490 Phantom Gaming Velocita, which appears to have an identical CPU VRM muscle as the Taichi, but just two M.2 slots instead of three. It still gets two wired networking interfaces. The Z490 Phantom Gaming ITX TB3 is the Mini-ITX flagship board by the company, featuring integrated Thunderbolt, an active fan-heatsink cooling the CPU VRM, and a daughterboard putting out some of the board's connectivity.

A large selection of socket LGA1200 motherboards by MSI, based on Intel Z490 chipset, was leaked to the web. MSI is bringing at least 10 motherboard models based on the Z490, with prices starting around 200€ (likely inclusive of taxes). It looks like socket LGA1200 motherboards will be significantly pricier than the previous-generation, owing to steeper CPU VRM requirements, or Intel merely aligning its partners to march AMD X570 chipset in average motherboard pricing. The lineup begins with the Z490-A Pro at 200€. The Z490 Gaming Plus and Z490 Tomahawk are allegedly priced at 210€ and 240€, respectively. The Z490M Gaming Edge WiFi, Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi, and Z490 Gaming Pro Carbon go for 250€, 250€ and 330€, respectively. The premium MEG lineup includes the Z490I Unify at 330€, its ATX sibling, the Z490 Unify at 360€, the Z490 Ace at 520€, and the crown jewel, the Z490 GODLIKE, at a whopping 960€, according to pricing leaked by momomo_us.

Komachi Ensaka posted pictures of four motherboard models. Besides all the modern connectivity options you could possibly want, including Thunderbolt, 10 GbE, USB 3.2 x2 (20 Gbps), 802.11ax WLAN, and five M.2 slots, the MEG Z490 GODLIKE appears to have an HEDT-like 18-phase VRM that pulls power from two 8-pin EPS connectors, and enough overclocking muscle to try and justify its near-four-figure price. The MPG Z490M Gaming Edge WiFi forms the "mid-range" of the lineup, covering all the bases for serious gaming PC builds with any of the upcoming 10th generation Core LGA1200 processors. The MPG Z490 Gaming Plus is a fascinating board design, in that it finally sheds the red+black color scheme of its predecessors, trading it with a solid black color scheme with just a touch of RGB LEDs. It covers all the essentials that the platform has to offer. Lastly, there's the Z490-A Pro, the "entry level product that still appears to have a beefy VRM and platform essentials.

ASUS today announced the launch of the ExpertBook B9450 laptop, the latest ASUS ExpertBook for business professionals that provides unmatched performance, durability and design within an incredibly thin and light form factor weighing in at just 2.2 lb with a 0.59 inch thin profile. The new ExpertBook-series laptops maintain a professional and reliable personality while incorporating innovation and flexibility in order to meet the requirements of modern businesses.

Designed for business professionals on-the-go, the ExpertBook B9450 delivers top-tier performance thanks to up to an 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, dual-storage design with two ultrafast 1 TB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs, and up to 16 GB of RAM and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) connectivity. Expect uninterrupted performance on the B9450 with long-lasting battery life delivering up to an impressive 24 hours of use on a single charge, with extra comfort features like the ErgoLift hinge, built-in voice assistant support, and a Harman Kardon-optimized audio system.

The leading global motherboard, graphics card and mini PC manufacturer, ASRock, announces X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 receives the Thunderbolt Host certification from Intel. It is the first Thunderbolt Certified AMD motherboard.

X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 is the high-end Mini-ITX model in the ASRock X570 series motherboard which supports AMD Ryzen 2000 and 3000 series processors with AM4 socket. It is equipped with 10 power phase design (Dr.MOS) which provides completely smooth power delivery to the CPU to offer unmatched overclocking capabilities, and enhanced performance with the lowest temperature for advanced gamers. The key feature of this motherboard, Thunderbolt 3 technology, enables lightning-fast data bandwidth up to 40 Gbps, and can also provide both data and video transmission. Meanwhile, X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 can connect up to six Thunderbolt 3 devices such as graphics card, hard disk or monitor simultaneously by means of Daisy Chain technology.

LG Electronics' new generation of Ultra monitors to be unveiled at CES 2020 is designed to dramatically improve the user experience with superior design and cutting-edge performance. A leading innovator in the premium monitor segment, LG's 2020 UltraFine, UltraGear and UltraWide models have been honored as CES Innovation Award winners.

The 2020 CES Innovation Award-winning 32-inch UltraFine "Ergo" 4K UHD monitor (model 32UN880) is an innovative ergonomic solution that delivers differentiated value. The unique LG Ergo concept brings together the three key elements of image fidelity, ergonomic design and USB-C One Cable solution for a monitor that delivers unbeatable performance, user comfort and a cleaner desk setup at home or at the office. The UltraFine 4K UHD Display Ergo inherits the stunning picture quality the UltraFine series is renowned for and more than meets the needs of most professionals thanks to its ability to produce high resolution images with excellent detail, color reproduction and color accuracy.

TerraMaster, a professional brand that specializes in providing innovative storage products, including network attached storage and direct attached storage, is proud to announce the D8 Thunderbolt 3 storage drive as part of their Thunderbolt 3 family product family. The D8 Thunderbolt 3 leverages the power of Intel Thunderbolt 3 technology to offer incredible speeds while providing large capacities as well as data integrity for demanding, professional work especially for large, mission critical productions. The TerraMaster D8 Thunderbolt 3 has an MSRP of $1,599.99.

Thunderbolt 3 offers 40 Gbps maximum bandwidth which paired with a powerful RAID controller, allows the D8 Thunderbolt 3 to reach performance of up to 1600 MB/s with traditional hard drives under RAID0 array. For maximum balance of data protection and speed, a RAID5 array can still reach 1400 MB/s with the D8 Thunderbolt 3. This allows editors working on large files such as 4K, 6K or 8K footage to strike a balance of capacity and speed and provide the flexibility to allow them to work with files faster so their creativity is not limited.

Seagate Technology, a world leader in data solutions, today added two new high-performance solutions to its industry-leading line of storage for gamers. The Seagate FireCuda 520 PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD and the FireCuda Gaming Dock featuring 4 TB of HDD storage capacity and an NVMe M.2 expansion slot for an optional ultra-fast SSD upgrade.

Built to deliver the intense speeds needed for the rigor of modern gaming, the FireCuda 520 SSD is the company's fastest solid-state drive and offers plug-and-play compatibility with all PCIe Gen4 motherboards. For laptop PC gamers looking for flexibility, the FireCuda Gaming Dock is an elite 4 TB HDD storage hub with an NVMe M.2 expansion slot for optional SSD upgrade that connects peripherals via a Thunderbolt 3 and offers a slick industrial design with LED illumination pushing your rig over the top.

Gigabyte, via its AORUS brand, today launched the eGPU to outclass all other. The new AORUS Gaming Box is an eGPU solution that features a watercooled version of NVIDIA's RTX 2080 Ti graphics card - the current cream of the crop when it comes to raytracing performance. Apparently, and despite being an AORUS-branded product, the AORUS Gaming Box hasn't been overclocked - which makes sense, considering the thermal constraints already in place with such solutions. The RTX 2080 Ti inside the new Gaming Box features an AIO cooling solution with a copper baseplate and two 120 mm fans for airflow.

The enclosure also features two removable dust filters for maintenance purposes. Connectivity-wise, we're talking about 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB Type-C, 1x Thunderbolt, 1x Ethernet, 3x DisplayPort and 1x HDMI. No word on pricing or weight of the solution, but it's likely a heavyweight when it comes to taking punches out of your wallet, as are usually any such external solutions.

With 64 Gbps bandwidth per lane, 256 Gbps in x4, and a whopping 1 Tbps in x16 (128 GB/s per direction), PCI-Express 6.0 will debut in 2021 as 5G adoption hits critical mass in markets across the globe, to support server nodes, high-bandwidth network infrastructure, and lighting fast I/O for HPC and AI applications. Development of the new standard is already underway, with the specification having achieved a pre-release version 0.3, according to the PCI-SIG, the body that develops and maintains the PCI IP.

Further development, prototyping, and testing of the standard will run through 2020 as drafts of the standard are dispatched to interested parties. With the specification published in 2021, the first devices implementing it could arrive the following year. Granted, very few devices need 1 Tbps bandwidth, but the exercise of doubling bandwidth every 3 or so years has its maximum impact on devices that only have wiring for one PCIe lane, and directly impacts bandwidth of other I/O specifications that are derived from PCIe, such as USB, Thunderbolt, CXL, etc.

Eurocom Corporation offers the EUROCOM Nightsky RX15, a 15.6" system featuring a vibrant Sharp IGZO FHD panel with a blazing fast 240Hz refresh rate, powered by the strappy Intel 9980HK CPU. Sharp IGZO 240Hz FHD technology delivers the best possible visual experience for gamers and professionals who demand near-instant response from their displays. The laptop comes standard with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB GDDR6 GPU and an Intel Core i7 9750H (6C/12C) CPU. An optional, special edition of the EUROCOM Nightsky RX15 is available with an Intel i9-9980HK (8C/16T). The Nightsky RX15 is a thin and light platform, weighing in at under 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs), is designed for a wide range of users varying from architects, designers of all kinds, graphics, audio and video professionals, up to pro gamers who need high-performance, on-the-go computing. The EUROCOM Nightsky RX15 can tackle the most demanding workloads, applications and/or games with relative ease, making it a perfect companion for Eurocom's over-achieving, yet uncompromising users who desire a system with incredibly fast display refresh rate and immense power on-the-go.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) today announced that it has released version 2.0 of the DisplayPort (DP) audio/video standard. DP 2.0 is the first major update to the DisplayPort standard since March 2016, and provides up to a 3X increase in data bandwidth performance compared to the previous version of DisplayPort (DP 1.4a), as well as new capabilities to address the future performance requirements of traditional displays. These include beyond 8K resolutions, higher refresh rates and high dynamic range (HDR) support at higher resolutions, improved support for multiple display configurations, as well as improved user experience with augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) displays, including support for 4K-and-beyond VR resolutions.

The advantages of DP 2.0 are enjoyed across both the native DP connector as well as the USB Type-C connector, which carries the DP audio/video signal through DisplayPort Alt Mode. DP 2.0 is backward compatible with previous versions of DisplayPort and incorporates all of the key features of DP 1.4a, including support for visually lossless Display Stream Compression (DSC) with Forward Error Correction (FEC), HDR metadata transport, and other advanced features. The increased video bandwidth performance of DP 2.0 carried over the USB-C connector enables simultaneous higher-speed USB data transfer without compromising display performance. DP 2.0 leverages the Thunderbolt 3 physical interface (PHY) layer while maintaining the flexibility of DP protocol in order to boost the data bandwidth and promote convergence across industry-leading IO standards.

Apple today introduced the all-new Mac Pro, a completely redesigned, breakthrough workstation for pros who push the limits of what a Mac can do, and unveiled Apple Pro Display XDR, the world's best pro display. Designed for maximum performance, expansion and configurability, the all-new Mac Pro features workstation-class Xeon processors up to 28 cores, a high-performance memory system with a massive 1.5TB capacity, eight PCIe expansion slots and a graphics architecture featuring the world's most powerful graphics card. It also introduces Apple Afterburner, a game-changing accelerator card that enables playback of three streams of 8K ProRes RAW video simultaneously.

Pro Display XDR features a massive 32-inch Retina 6K display with gorgeous P3 wide and 10-bit color, an extreme 1,600 nits of peak brightness, an incredible 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a superwide viewing angle, all at a breakthrough price point. Together, the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR are the most powerful tools Apple has ever put in the hands of pro customers and will change pro workflows forever.

ASRock is ready with its own mini-ITX motherboard based on the AMD X570 chipset, the X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX TB3. This tiny powerhouse one-ups other mini-ITX motherboards in its category by offering 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 3 connectivity over USB type-C, in addition to USB 3.2. This Thunderbolt port also includes a DP pass-through from your discrete graphics card.

Expansion includes one PCI-Express 4.0 x16. Storage connectivity includes one M.2-2280 with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps connectivity; and four SATA 6 Gbps ports. Networking options include 2.4 Gbps 802.11ax WLAN, Bluetooth 5.0, and 1 GbE driven by Intel i211-AT. The board pulls power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the SoC with a 6+2 phase VRM. A chunky fan-heatsink cools the chipset, shedding some of its heat to the enlarged VRM heatsink cloaked under the I/O shroud.

ASRock will be showing the world's first Thin Mini-ITX form factor - RX570TM-ITX/TBT graphics card, which adapts with AMD Radeon RX570 graphics card and supports Intel Thunderbolt 3 technology. The RX570TM-ITX/TBT graphics card is not only the first graphics card with a Thunderbolt 3 Type-C interface which supports 40Gb/s transfer rate and power delivery, but it also features 4 USB 3.1 Gen1 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and SATA 6Gb/s interface.
The RX570TM-ITX/TBT graphics card is based on the Thin Mini-ITX concept. With this graphics card, All-in-One PC manufacturers can develop their own Thunderbolt monitors with 3D performance and power charging with less effort. Moreover, it would be able to fit in a mini ITX chassis. By connecting a notebook through Thunderbolt 3 Type-C interface, it helps to increase the notebook's 3D computing power and charge the notebook at the same time.

Dell inadvertently confirmed that a mobile version of the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics processor is in the works and coming to one of its G5 15 laptop models. The best part? The company was refuting the leak of another unannounced product, the "RTX 2050. " Calling it a typo, the company in a pop-up message for its G5 15 variant configurator. Apparently there are two main variants of this notebook, one with USB-C that has Thunderbolt, USB 3.1, and DisplayPort wiring; and another variant with just USB-C with USB 3.1 and DisplayPort minus Thunderbolt.

The company originally mentioned that variants with RTX 2060 and above get Thunderbolt, while those with "RTX 2050" only get USB 3.1 and DisplayPort out of their USB-C ports. In its correction, the company replaced "RTX 2050" with "GTX 1660 Ti." What the webmasters don't know is that mobile GTX 1660 Ti is unannounced, and it's unlikely that Dell is using a desktop GTX 1660 Ti on a notebook of this form-factor (this isn't one of those Eurocom-made desktop-replacement monstrosities).

Intel is well on its way to making the innovation delivered with Thunderbolt 3 available to everyone. Today, Intel announced that it contributed the Intel Thunderbolt protocol specification to the USB Promoter Group, enabling other chip makers to build Thunderbolt compatible silicon, royalty-free. In addition, the USB Promoter Group announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, based on the Thunderbolt protocol. The convergence of the underlying Thunderbolt and USB protocols will increase compatibility among USB Type-C connector-based products, simplifying how people connect their devices.

"Releasing the Thunderbolt protocol specification is a significant milestone for making today's simplest and most versatile port available to everyone. This, in combination with the integration of Thunderbolt 3 into upcoming Intel processors is a win-win for the industry and consumers," said Jason Ziller, general manager, Client Connectivity Division at Intel.

While we just recently covered the USB 3.2 specification. The USB Promoter Group has today announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, a major update to deliver the next generation USB architecture that compliments and builds on the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures. The USB4 architecture is based on the Thunderbolt protocol specification recently contributed by Intel Corporation. It doubles the bandwidth of USB and enables multiple simultaneous data and display protocols.

The new USB4 architecture defines a method to share a single high-speed link with multiple end device types dynamically that best serves the transfer of data by type and application. As the USB Type-C connector has evolved into the role as the external display port of many host products, the USB4 specification provides the host the ability to optimally scale allocations for display data flow. Even as the USB4 specification introduces a new underlying protocol, compatibility with existing USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3 hosts and devices is supported; the resulting connection scales to the best mutual capability of the devices being connected. "The primary goal of USB is to deliver the best user experience combining data, display and power delivery over a user-friendly and robust cable and connector solution," said Brad Saunders, USB Promoter Group Chairman. "The USB4 solution specifically tailors bus operation to further enhance this experience by optimizing the blend of data and display over a single connection and enabling the further doubling of performance."

A new security vulnerability named "Thunderclap" severely compromises security of computers with USB type-C Thunderbolt ports, or machines with Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gbps) ports. This would be pretty much every MacBook released in the past two years, Macs, and PCs with certain aftermarket Thunderbolt 3 adapters. Chronicled in a paper by the Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge, Rice University and SRI International, is a method for Thunderbolt devices to bypass the host machine's IOMMU (I/O memory management unit), and read its main memory over DMA.

An IOMMU translates address-spaces between devices and main memory, and hence protects your memory's contents being read by just about any device. The group has detailed possible ways to mitigate this vulnerability, and forwarded these mitigations to Apple, Intel, and Microsoft. For now no public mitigation exists other than disabling the Thunderbolt controller of your machine in your motherboard's UEFI setup program.

Plugable, the leading developer of USB, Thunderbolt, Bluetooth and power-related devices, launches the 10Gb USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2) NVMe SSD Enclosure, the first high performance NVMe enclosure to feature a completely tool-free, spring-loaded design for inserting and removing a compatible SSD, along with advanced thermal management to maximize performance and device lifespan.

With a sleek and slim profile, a rugged aluminum body for improved heat dissipation, and USB Type-A and Type-C host compatibility, the Plugable USB-C NVMe Enclosure is an optimal solution for safeguarding SSDs when moving from the workplace to the home office and achieving maximum transfer performance speeds on PCs, Macs and Linux devices.

It appears that releases from CES are already making their way in the press even before the year ends. We learned of LG's new "Ultra" series monitors recently, and now we get to know about their plans from the laptops business unit. Their Gram lineup was developed to feature lightweight portable laptops with enhanced user experience in mind, and joining the series in 2019 are the 14-inch LG Gram 2-in-1 (model 14T990) and the new LG Gram 17 (model 17Z990), both of which are 2019 CES Innovation Award winners.

The 14" Gram 2-in-1 is a convertible, shifting from tablet to laptop at the whim of the user. It features a 360° hinge coupled with a touch screen to add more use cases in between. This by itself is not necessarily new or unique to the market, but a welcome addition to fans of the LG brand nonetheless. The company wants to also assure the customer that the laptop is built to last, having met the U.S. military MIL-STD-810G standard for durability. Part of this no doubt comes from the incorporation of Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 on the touch screen, and the display underneath uses LG's IPS technology. More information on this, and the Gram 17, following the break.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, announced the release of the Z390 DESIGNARE motherboard with full support for the newest 8-core Intel Core i9-9900K processors. The newest addition to the GIGABYTE DESIGNARE series is a feature-packed motherboard that provides content creators the fastest and most efficient tools to showcase their creativity and craftsmanship. GIGABYTE DESIGNARE Series motherboards bring out the best in workstation graphics cards, maximize M.2 SSD and DDR4 RAM performance, and fully support powerful CPUs such as the newest 8-core Intel Core i9-9900K CPU. With built in USB Type-C Thunderbolt , and native USB 3.1 Gen 2 to provide 40Gb/s transmission speed, the board is designed with effective storage performance as a key feature. GIGABYTE Ultra-Durable Technology and exclusive software also bring additional value for digital content creators and design professionals.

"Today's content creators are seeking faster and more efficient performance from their PCs. GIGABYTE created the DESIGNARE series a few years back to fulfill these user demands," stated Jackson Hsu, Deputy Director of the GIGABYTE Channel Solutions Product Development Division. "Z390 DESIGNARE is the newest addition to this constantly evolving content creation focused series and is loaded with features that enable content creators to express their artistic creativity through their PCs with excellent performance and efficiency."

Apple today announced a slew of updates to there product lines including an all-new MacBook Air and Mac Mini. Starting with the MacBook Air, Apple has finally given the system a proper upgrade bringing it back to relevance after years of stagnation. These upgrades include a 13.3-inch Retina display, Intel's 8th generation Core i5 processor with UHD Graphics 617, up to 16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 and SSDs with capacities up to 1.5 TB. In terms of design, the shell is made of 100% recycled aluminum with the entire system weighing in at just 2.75 lbs compared to the outgoing models 2.96 lbs.

On top of the various hardware improvements, Apple has also included their Touch ID fingerprint sensor which is paired with their T2 chip for a secure login much the same as the current MacBook Pro. These two inclusions, along with the T2 chips ability to deliver on-the-fly data encryption makes the MacBook Air one of the most secure notebooks on the market according to Apple. However, one thing missing here is the Touch Bar, which will likely make more than a few users happy. The keyboard also gets upgraded to the same third generation with butterfly mechanism used on the MacBook Pro lineup.