The event peek performance Apple concluded with a new member for its catalog of computers: the Mac Studio. The company, however, did not disclose any details about the Rumored MacBook Air. Nor about the chip M2, a new SoC that would reportedly come to renew the M1 available in the 24-inch iMac, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Air, and the Mac mini. Following the announcements by the Cupertino company, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed through his Twitter profile that Apple maintains its intention to announce this redesigned laptop. This model, however, will not be what we are all expecting.
According to Kuo, the mass production of the new MacBook Air will start during the second or third quarter of 2022. He therefore suggests that the announcement or launch of this model will not be held until the end of this year. Perhaps in October, since Apple usually announces new models in the Mac lineup during that month. The analyst also confirms that the MacBook Air will arrive with a completely new design and with “more color options”. These data coincide with those previously revealed by Jon Prosser, who shared renders of a supposed MacBook Air with a white front, colors similar to the iMac with M1 chip and completely flat edges.
Kuo, however, assures in his tweet that the MacBook Air 2022 will not have a mini-LED screen. This was one of the main novelties of this model, and also one of the most anticipated features. Mainly, because the mini-LED panels offer greater contrast and purer blacks compared to the LCDs that the current 13-inch MacBook Air and Pro mount. So, for now at least, the display technology that’s already available on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and could make its way to the rumored iMac Pro, will be exclusive to Apple’s lineup of pro gear. But this will not be the only feature expected in Apple’s lightest computer.
The MacBook Air may not come with an M2 chip
The analyst also indicates that the MacBook Air will keep an M1 chip, same SoC as the current model. It is somewhat contradictory news to the latest reports, which highlighted the inclusion of an M2 chip to provide it with greater power and efficiency. In this case, there are three possible scenarios. First; that Ming-Chi Kuo is wrong in his prediction and finally the MacBook Air arrives with an M2 chip. The second scenario is that Apple simply launches a vitaminized variant -and with higher performance- of the M1 for this team. The third is that Kuo is correct and that the redesigned MacBook Air will arrive with the M1 chip announced in 2020.
Kuo makes no mention of the “basic” MacBook Pro. This model, by Mark Gurman (Bloomberg), could arrive this year as a cheaper option to the current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and would integrate the expected M2 chip.