Apple’s next-generation MacBook Air will still use an M1 chip, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities.
It’s now been 16 months since Cupertino introduced the latest MacBook Air with its revolutionary M1 chip. Its most affordable notebook is certainly due for an upgrade, with almost all rumours pointing to that happening this year.
But it might not be the upgrade many MacBook Air fans were hoping for. Although a big redesign with new colour options is on the cards, Kuo is betting against a chipset upgrade.
The Apple analyst made the comment to 9to5Mac following a tweet where he predicted an “all-new” design for the laptop with more colour options and no Mini LED display.
According to the tweet purportedly sent by Kuo, Apple’s next MacBook Air will actually not include some of the previous upgrades that Kuo and multiple other sources have said it will. From the source:
Predictions for new MacBook Air in 2022:
1. Mass production in late 2Q22 or 3Q22
2. Processor: M1 chip
3. No mini-LED display
4. All-new form factor design
5. More color options— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 9, 2022
The 2022 MacBook Air will be powered by an M1 chip, says Kuo. It’s not completely clear if it will be the entry-level M1 like the current model — which seems a little unlikely — or one of the more powerful variants.
It’s not unreasonable to think Apple could bring beefier M1 options, such as the M1 Max, to its more affordable machines in the future as they become more and more affordable to produce. It has done this with A-series chips in the past.
Kuo adds that the upcoming MacBook Air will sport an “all-new form factor design” and come with more colour options. The current MacBook Air is available in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold. The new colours are speculated to be Starlight, Midnight, and Purple. Past rumours suggest that it could sport off-white bezels to go with the off-white keyboard instead of black.
As for the new form factor, we’ve heard previously that the forthcoming MacBook Air would feature a squarer design, bringing it into line with the iPad Pro and the iPad Air.
It sounds like the display won’t receive the same Mini-LED boost as the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro received, which perhaps isn’t a huge surprise. The MacBook Air has always been the more accessible and approachable option in the range, so it doesn’t tend to have too many “Pro” features.
