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Following the absence of a new MacBook Air at Apple’s event last Tuesday, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that the entry-level Mac notebook could launch later this year. Unlike most rumors, though, Kuo does not expect the laptop to ship with the M2 chip.
A new MacBook Air has been mentioned in many reports and leaks way ahead of Apple’s event earlier this week. Many Apple fans may have been surprised when the showcase wrapped up and the company did not mention anything about the laptop.
Shortly after Apple’s event, Kuo posted his predictions on the new MacBook Air on Twitter. The most intriguing part of Kuo’s forecast suggested the new MacBook Air will be powered by the M1. For months now, the device has been speculated to be one of the Macs shipping with the M2 chip this year.
Many Twitter users were surprised and understandably doubtful on why Apple would use a chipset that could be two years old by the time the new MacBook Air enters the market. It appears, however, that Apple is not using the same M1 chip as the 2020 MacBook Air.
Kuo told 9To5Mac “in a private conversation” that he was referring to an “updated version” of the SoC. How it would be different from the original M1 was not specified, but the publication noted a previous report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman indicating that Apple is developing a new chipset for Mac devices with eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores.
The analyst also agreed with earlier reports that the laptop will sport an “all-new form factor design.” Leaker Jon Prosser reported back in May 2021 that the laptop is due for a design overhaul with flat edges. Kuo also expects the laptop to ship with “more color options,” which was another early detail report by Prosser.
The analyst also expects Apple to continue using LCD for the new MacBook Air instead of mini-LED display like in the latest MacBook Pros. Kuo predicts the next MacBook Air could enter production in the second or third quarter of the year. That means it might not be announced until mid or late 2022.
Photo by Isaac Martin on Unsplash
