Apple plans thinner, high-end MacBook Air
A revamped MacBook Air will reportedly feature next-generation Apple Silicon, and a MagSafe charger, plus become both thinner and lighter.
Having a coffee while working on the 2020 MacBook Air
Following previous claims that the MacBook Air will be revamped in 2022 with a mini LED screen, a new report says it will may be released sooner -- and will feature a more substantial redesign. Alongside potential changes to the display, it's said that Apple will cut both the weight and size of its current lightest notebook.
According to Bloomberg, the new MacBook Air will not replace the current one, but rather fit into the lineup as a higher-end option.
It is expected to feature the next generation of Apple Silicon, and to be released in 2022. However, the publication claims that it is also possible that it will come out in the second half of 2021.
Reportedly, Apple has looked at reducing the size of the MacBook Air by retaining the current 13-inch display size yet reducing the bezels around it. It has also evaluated producing a 15-inch version, though the unnamed sources claim that Apple has decided against that for this version.
Bloomberg's report does not mention mini LED, but does follow a Ming Chi-Kuo prediction that Apple will reintroduce MagSafe to the Mac. Kuo only specified that it would be in the MacBook Pro models, however.
Having a coffee while working on the 2020 MacBook Air
Following previous claims that the MacBook Air will be revamped in 2022 with a mini LED screen, a new report says it will may be released sooner -- and will feature a more substantial redesign. Alongside potential changes to the display, it's said that Apple will cut both the weight and size of its current lightest notebook.
According to Bloomberg, the new MacBook Air will not replace the current one, but rather fit into the lineup as a higher-end option.
It is expected to feature the next generation of Apple Silicon, and to be released in 2022. However, the publication claims that it is also possible that it will come out in the second half of 2021.
Reportedly, Apple has looked at reducing the size of the MacBook Air by retaining the current 13-inch display size yet reducing the bezels around it. It has also evaluated producing a 15-inch version, though the unnamed sources claim that Apple has decided against that for this version.
Bloomberg's report does not mention mini LED, but does follow a Ming Chi-Kuo prediction that Apple will reintroduce MagSafe to the Mac. Kuo only specified that it would be in the MacBook Pro models, however.
Comments
Having two models of the MacBook Air makes sense, just as it does for every other Mac model. A newly designed higher end 14" model makes sense now (with stronger GPU performance) and then later in the year, possibly replacing the current 13" model with a smaller 12" model.
Also hoping that every new M1 variant is made available as upgrade options in the mini.
Give us battery, not another mm of Ive-ness please.
2). It has more to do with Intel than Apple. Sure that chassis won’t hold the i9 but who else can? In fact the 13” and 16” actually did better than most laptops during sustained performance.
I think it's perfectly acceptable for the Air models to become thinner and lighter as long as battery life is kept at a respectable level; at least 12 hours under normal workload. The performance does not need to increase, for entry level systems the M1 is just fine, although as I posted above, it would be nice to have an option with more/faster GPU cores.
I do agree the MBP's don't need to be thinner nor lighter than they already are - performance here should take precedence over mobility.
Except it's been noted that the MacBook Air was(is) their most popular model and it was replaced outright with the M1. The stop-gap models I was referring to still have Intel models available.
I'm pretty sure it was not a mistake, they know exactly what they're doing, as only they know what's coming next and when. It seems pretty damned smart to me to first show what these systems are capable of on the very low end... That builds excitement and anticipation for what's possible when higher end systems are unleashed.
You don’t know what the realistic standard is.
You don’t see benchmarks & reviews.
You can’t tell which one actually did a good test.
No all that matters is he said she said.
It’s possible for thinner laptops to cool well, you saw what the 16” could do and that does not make the cooling system any bigger.
Nor does all the big & heavy coolers did any better. No there are water coolers that’s worse than what the Mac Pro could.
But that’s okay, again forums really aren’t for facts rather just feelies thinks how the world turns. So long you’re happy.
I'm not sure if a higher end MacBook Air is really possible unless Apple wants to add the fan back. That would be disappointing. Sure they can add features like a second external monitor but there really isn't much else missing and the power vs cooling for a fanless design is going to limit how much more performance they can wring out of this 5nm generation of Apple Silicon.
If you look inside those systems it is obvious that the M1 motherboards were designed to fit in those current chassis, which were built specifically around Intel based motherboards. That's a stop-gap measure. When Apple redesigns the motherboard and the chassis to work together, then we'll see even more efficient computers. Maximizing battery space and optimizing thermal dissipation.
the bestselling iPad right now is the iPad;
the bestselling iPhone is ... the iPhone 8!
the bestselling Mac before the M1 was the entry-level 13” Pro and now possibly the M1 Air.
That thing was called to be “for everyone” not without reason!
It's hard to imagine a laptop with a proper keyboard and good battery life getting much thinner. I suppose shaving off another millimeter could be done, but there is also structural integrity to think about. Perhaps a good way to go would be to lose the tapered design of the current MBA chassis and go with a slightly thinner MBP (or iPad Pro*) style chassis.
*Interesting to note that an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard is actually about as thick as a 16" MBP.
If the title of this article was "Apple to revamp the MacBook Air design to improve on all of the things we like about the Air and remove all of the things we don't like about the Air" I think it would be more accurately reflect Apple's true intentions. Mentioning thinness in an environment where some folks equate excessive thinness with "sacrifices" is poisoning the well. Let's wait and see how Apple improves what we like and removes what we don't like before we jump to any conclusions. Hey. if they do make the Air a little thinner without sacrificing anything that matters to us - at least we'll be able to hold off on buying another cheese slicer for the kitchen. Nothing wrong with that. But the predictable Ive whining whenever "thin" is mentioned, meh.
The Air could stand to go on a weight loss diet though. A good target would be under 2.5 lb, instead of the current 2.8 lb.
this new Air will go a long way to correcting the bad misstep of the rMB. While smaller was good, a single port and more expensive was a big mistake.