Apple just updated its Mac lineup with the brand new Mac Studio desktop. It’s a significantly upgraded version of the Mac mini featuring the best M1 variation made to date. But the company is yet to announce any 2022 laptops, with reports claiming that Apple will release a redesigned MacBook Air and an entry-level MacBook Pro this year.
We saw rumors about the former all the way in 2021. They detailed the purported design and color options coming to the MacBook Air. But Apple only launched new designs for the MacBook Pro models last year. A well-connected insider claims that the new MacBook Air is coming this year, but Apple pushed back the laptop’s release to the second half of 2022.
Is there a new MacBook Air coming?
Apple last updated the MacBook Air in late 2020, when it unveiled the M1 version of the laptop, alongside the M1 MacBook Pro and M1 Mac mini. However, Apple used the same chassis as the previous MacBook Air version. Then, last fall Apple only updated the MacBook Pro line, releasing the redesigned laptop models that appeared in rumors throughout 2021.
Fans wondering whether Apple will release a new MacBook Air in 2022 should know that most rumors say the launch is happening. The new MacBook Air will bring a brand new design and the M2 System-on-Chip (SoC), according to reports. But we don’t have a firm launch schedule for the new notebook.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman addressed the MacBook Air 2022 generation in his new edition of the Power On newsletter.
MacBook Air 2022 release delayed
He said that Apple originally wanted to release the new MacBook Air with an “all-new design, Magsafe, the M2 chip, and more” at the end of 2021 or early 2022. But the release window has now slipped to the second half of 2022. Gurman offers no release date predictions for the MacBook Air refresh. But the claim is in line with Ming-Chi Kuo’s most recent report.
The analyst said that mass production for the new MacBook Air will start in the second or third quarter of 2022.
Kuo said that the new MacBook Air will feature an M1 chip, not the next-gen SoC. But he also claimed the new laptop will feature an all-new form factor design and more color options. Unlike the MacBook Pro models that arrived last fall, the new Air will not feature a mini-LED display.
Getting back to Gurman, he also addressed the MacBook Pro series. Apple shouldn’t release updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models later this year. The M2 Pro and M2 Max versions will probably arrive next year. But Apple will unveil an entry-level MacBook Pro featuring a 13-inch display and an M2 SoC.
Gurman and Kuo both have great track records predicting Apple’s next moves. That said, we’re looking at unconfirmed rumors at this time.
More Mac coverage: For more Mac news, visit our MacBook Pro guide.
