If rumors are to be believed, Apple will release an all-new version of the MacBook Air. These predictions are based on reports from a number of leaks, including John Prosser, who reveals fairly accurate information about Apple’s future plans, especially for the Mac M-Series. He also published renders of the new device based on the leaked images.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo supported Prosser’s claims that Apple is working to change the look of the current MacBook Air in a new version.
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Prosser claims that the new MacBook Air will have a number of design updates and will come in a variety of colors, just like the 24-inch Mac. Judging by leaked images he claims to have seen, the laptop will come in blue and green, with many more options to match the iMac palette — gentle, pastel colors on its stands that contrast with the darker colors on the back. The colors of the new MacBook Air, he said, will be “very close, if not identical, to the shades you see on the stands of the new 24-inch iMacs.”
Prosser and Gurman also predict that the next-generation MacBook Air will use Apple’s M2 silicon chip instead of its predecessor, the M1 chip that powers the current MacBook Air. It is believed that this chip will be much more efficient with the same number of cores. The new model is also expected to have more graphics cores.
The new MacBook Air is expected to have full-size function keys and a relatively smaller trackpad compared to the current model. It will have two USB-C ports, one on each side. Although Gurman claimed that it would feature a MagSafe connector for fast charging, Prosser did not add it to his published renders because it was not visible in the leaked images.
As for the design, there will be two long vertical strips of rubber feet on the underside of the new version instead of four small overlays on the corners. Another suggestion by Prosser is that, like the iMac, the new MacBook Air will have white bezels. He also claims that it will have an ultra-thin profile. Apple plans to do away with its famous tapered design in the new MacBook Air and instead make its case much thinner.
Prosser predicts that the new version will come out in late 2021, if released this year. Gurman supports this claim by commenting that Apple plans to release the MacBook Air in the second half of this year if it comes out in 2021. If it doesn’t, however, the Bloomberg analyst believes it can be expected in early 2022.
