Apple unveils its new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, the first laptops running Apple's homemade chip

• Apple on Tuesday unveiled its latest MacBooks: the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
• The new laptops are the first to contain the M1 chip, Apple's new homemade chip that will replace Intel chips in its Mac line. Because all of Apple's devices will now run on the same architecture, iPhone and iPad apps will now run directly on MacBooks.
• The MacBook Air, Apple's thinnest and lightest MacBook, will have improved performance and battery life, a better camera, and a more vibrant display. It doesn't have a fan, which means it should be silent.
• The 13-inch MacBook Pro will have the longest battery life of any Mac, a higher-quality camera, and studio-quality mics.
• The MacBook Air costs $999, while the MacBook Pro costs $1,299. Both laptops will be available to order starting on Tuesday.

Apple's latest MacBooks have arrived.

During a hardware event on Tuesday, Apple took the wraps off the new MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The event was Apple's third in three months, following its iPhone event in October and the unveiling of its new line of Apple Watches in September.

The new MacBook Air, Apple's thinnest and lightest laptop, will have better performance and better battery life than its predecessor, a higher-quality camera, Touch ID, and more vibrant display. Apple says the MacBook Air will not have a fan, meaning it's completely silent.

The MacBook Air starts at $999, and $899 for education.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro will have upgraded performance and battery life — Apple says the MacBook Pro is capable of 17 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video playback, which is the longest-ever battery life in a Mac. The laptop will also have studio-quality mics and a sharper camera.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299, and $1,199 for education.

Both laptops will be available to order starting on Tuesday and will ship next week.

The new MacBooks are notable because they contain Apple's new M1, a new computer chip designed in-house. Previous MacBooks have run on Intel's chips, making this shift the biggest change to Apple's Mac lineup in years.

The homemade processor will offer several key advantages for Apple: Because the chips are based on Apple's A14 Bionic processor — which currently powers iPhones and iPads — the Mac experience will feel more consistent with that of Apple's other hardware products.

The M1 chips should also offer better power efficiency and improvements to machine learning, and because all of Apple's devices will now run on the same architecture, iPhone and iPad apps will now run directly on MacBooks.

During Apple's WWDC event earlier this year, CEO Tim Cook said the transition to Apple silicon will help the company bring new products to life — Apple will have more flexibility when it comes to releasing new Macs, since it won't have to rely on a third-party for the chips, and it should be able to more easily integrate hardware and software features on the Mac.