The Apple MacBook Air “Core i5” 1.3 13-Inch (Mid-2013/Haswell) features a 22-nm “Haswell” 1.3 GHz Intel “Core i5” processor (4250U) with two independent processor “cores” on a single chip, a 3 MB shared level 3 cache, 4 GB of onboard 1600 MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM (which could be upgraded to 8 GB at the time of purchase, but cannot be upgraded later), 128 GB or 256 GB of PCIe-based flash storage, and an “integrated” Intel HD Graphics 5000 graphics processor that shares system memory.

This all is packed in a razor thin (0.11-0.68 inch), 2.96 pound, aluminum case with an integrated 720p “FaceTime HD” webcam, a backlit full-size keyboard and an 13.3″ widescreen TFT LED backlit active-matrix “glossy” display (1440×900 native resolution).

Connectivity includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, analog audio out, a “Thunderbolt” port, two USB 3.0 ports, and an SDXC-capable SD card slot. It lacks internal Ethernet, although an external Thunderbolt adapter was offered as a US$29 option.

Compared to its predecessor, this model has effectively the same external enclosure, but it has a much more efficient processor and architecture — which results in significantly improved battery life — as well as faster graphics (that reserve more system memory), faster storage, and faster Wi-Fi.