Today, there are 110-plus Windows-based Ultrabooks on the horizon. Apple, for its part, has stuck with the same Air design we liked so much the first time around, though it’s refreshed the lineup with speedier Ivy Bridge processors and traded those USB 2.0 ports for 3.0. Additionally, the Air can now be configured with more RAM and roomier storage. Oh, and the 13-inch version now starts at $1,200, down from $1,300. (The 11-inch version still goes for $999 and up.)

Samsung’s Series 9 laptops remain some of our favorites, even if they are pricier. What’s more, the Air actually falls short of its competitors in a couple categories — namely, display quality (winner: the Zenbook Primes) and port selection (winner: the HP Envy Spectre 14).

All told, too, there will be some users who decide against all these machines in favor of touchscreen Ultrabooks — something you won’t find Apple making any time soon. Even so, as an all-around performer, the Air triumphs. It ticks off the most boxes, and in particular, succeeds in the areas that matter most to shoppers: speed, longevity and comfortable design. Until PC makers can get all these things right and match Apple on price, the Air remains the ultraportable to beat.