Now that Apple’s Peek Performance event has passed, new reports have appeared that change track on the 2022 MacBook Air’s features. As per new details shared by Ming-Chi Kuo, the redesigned MacBook Air will ship with an M1 chip, instead of the previously rumored M2 chip, and will not feature a mini-LED display.
Revised 2022 MacBook Air predictions
This will come as a letdown for customers who were hoping for a major revamp for Apple’s most popular portable Mac. The MacBook Air has always sold very well, but Apple has not changed its design much since it was launched more than a decade ago.
With the 2022 MacBook Air, Apple is still going to go for a brand new design, reminiscent of the colorful 24-inch iMac, however, other features like a faster M2 chip, and mini-LED display are not out of the equation.
Multiple sources have already claimed that the new design language for the 2022 MacBook Air will have multiple colors, including green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver, coupled with white bezels and a white keyboard. The iconic tapered design will also be bid farewell, with a revamped look similar to the recent 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
The much-awaited mini-LED display is also being excluded from the predicted feature set, which means that Apple will continue to stick with an LED display, however, it will likely have some improvements over the current generation. Whether it will support ProMotion and HDR, like the iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina Display is anyone’s guess.
The rumored M2 chip was expected to feature the same number of CPU and GPU cores as the M1 chip, but with improved graphics performance. However, considering that Apple will still use an M1 chip, the company would be looking to increase the performance somewhat, as expected from a major design for the MacBook Air.
Luckily, the reports do not dismiss the rumors that Apple will include a 1080p camera, function keys, and MagSafe in the new MacBook Air. It will be even better if Apple includes an SD-card slot and HDMI port.
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
This Spring, even the popular leakers and analysts have been wrong when it comes to M2 chip roll-out and Mac updates.
Our view on reports claiming that the 13-inch MacBook Pro would launch this Spring with an M2 chip, before the MacBook Air’s expected launch this fall, was always skeptical. Since Apple launched both products at the same time with M1 chips, it made sense that they would upgrade them both together with newer chips or design changes.
It also made little sense that Apple would release the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the same design, while it would completely revamp the MacBook Air with a new design.
Considering reports that Apple is working on an 18-months plan to update Apple Silicon, M2 launch should be expected next year. Before Apple is done updating its complete Mac line-up with M1-series chips, it seems unlikely that they would jump to the next generation M2 chip. The Mac Pro, higher-end Mac mini, and 27-inch iMac are still awaiting Apple Silicon updates.
