M4 MacBook Air is imminent, iPad Air to follow shortly

AppleInsider · March 2, 2025 2:03PM

Apple is preparing for two more upcoming product launches, with the M4 MacBook Air expected to land very soon, followed by the iPad Air.

A laptop on a desk displays a blue abstract pattern on its screen, with a colorful app dock visible at the bottom.

MacBook Air

The dust is barely starting to settle following the release of the iPhone 16e, and Apple is seemingly getting ready to introduce more hardware for consumers to buy. Those new items will probably be the M4 MacBook Air and a new iPad Air.

There have been some signs of updates on the way, including a reduction of stocks of the current MacBook Air in preparation for the new models. According to Bloomberg on Sunday, it's also the case for the iPad Air.

Apple will be imminently introducing the M4 MacBook Air, the report adds. While an exact release date is not provided by the publication, it is thought that it could occur within a few days.

There is also a lack of timeline for the iPad Air, but Mark Gurman writes of expectations that the entry-level iPad could get an update at the same time as the Air line.

This is not the first time that launches of both iPad Air and MacBook Air in early 2025 has been claimed. They have surfaced in rumors alluding to an early 2025 launch for each.

Performance boosts

The MacBook Air update is expected to largely be a spec-bump upgrade, with the change in chip likely to be the main alteration. The same design and two sizes will be available as last time.

The base M4 chip is likely to be used, saving the M4 Pro and M4 Max for the MacBook Pro lineup. An update to the webcam to an ultra-wide version, appearing in macOS code references, is also a strong possibility.

The iPad Air is similarly anticipated to get the spec bump update treatment, but to the M3 chip rather than the M4. Product listings from a leaker showed M3 in relation to the 13-inch iPad Air, meaning it could keep the M4 for the current-gen iPad Pro line.

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applepoor · March 2, 2025 3:19PM

Since the M3 was a real challenge to make, I wonder if the M2 models will continue as the low cast versions when the M4 chips are installed? They could just ignore the fact of the M3 existence.

m4m40 · March 2, 2025 5:00PM

$1500 for a 15” 16GB/512GB MBA is a pretty decent deal, considering the next step up in the Pro lineup is $2500 for 24GB/512GB (and pro-level chip). Having this in M4, maybe with 18GB memory is a very decent machine for daily (office) work.

It’s interesting how Apple has these entry level systems (Mac Mini, Mac Air) where you get so much bang for your buck and scaling up costs you unproportionally more.

ios_guy80 · March 2, 2025 6:06PM

m4m40 said:

$1500 for a 15” 16GB/512GB MBA is a pretty decent deal, considering the next step up in the Pro lineup is $2500 for 24GB/512GB (and pro-level chip). Having this in M4, maybe with 18GB memory is a very decent machine for daily (office) work.

It’s interesting how Apple has these entry level systems (Mac Mini, Mac Air) where you get so much bang for your buck and scaling up costs you unproportionally more.

Good marketing, especially to try and get new Apple customers involved in the ecosystem.

jintech · March 2, 2025 6:59PM

“Any week now. This week is likely, if not next week, if not then, the week after…” writes Mark Gurman.

nubus · March 2, 2025 8:43PM

JinTech said:

“Any week now. This week is likely, if not next week, if not then, the week after…” writes Mark Gurman.

It feels like "NOW" - at least resellers in Europe are clearing inventory of MBA M3 with local keyboards. Margins seems to be the only reason for getting rid of MBA M3 as competition is nowhere close to MBA M3. At this point buying a MBA M3 with 16 GB is highly recommended. Not often we can say that just before Apple discontinues a product. M3 (M3 Pro excluded) did great.

tht · March 2, 2025 9:06PM

ApplePoor said:

Since the M3 was a real challenge to make, I wonder if the M2 models will continue as the low cast versions when the M4 chips are installed? They could just ignore the fact of the M3 existence.

Hopefully, they waterfall the M3 MBA 16/256 model to $1000.

The emphasis should be that "the M3 was a challenge to make". It's been about 18 months since N3B has been mass producing chips. Today, costs should have been amortized and production smoothed out so that the M3 is just as cheap as the M2. This is all assuming you should believe the rumors of TSMC N3B being a problem. If it was, it was probably 24 months ago when it was ramping production. Now, it's likely not an issue other than $/mm2 inherent in its production process. After all this time, probably not an issue at all.

If Apple keeps an M2 MBA at $1000, it's going to be for segmentation or work effort reasons, not N3B.

mathteacher · March 3, 2025 4:46AM

MBA is a great device but for me there is a deal breaker problem with it, it does not have faster refresh rate. I believe screens are supported but it is adjusted to give 60hz.

entropys · March 3, 2025 6:02AM

m4m40 said:

$1500 for a 15” 16GB/512GB MBA is a pretty decent deal, considering the next step up in the Pro lineup is $2500 for 24GB/512GB (and pro-level chip). Having this in M4, maybe with 18GB memory is a very decent machine for daily (office) work.

It’s interesting how Apple has these entry level systems (Mac Mini, Mac Air) where you get so much bang for your buck and scaling up costs you unproportionally more.

Yes, although it is more a dilemma that it would seem. The MBA appeals for the larger screen and it is far too high a jump to the 16 inch MBP. and it is time to retire my old 2015 MBA. The base 15 inch MBA is AUD$2199 and base 13 inch M3 is AUD$1799.

But, the base MBP M4 has a 10 core CPU, a fan and a superior screen (higher res, brightness, ProMotion, SDR) if smaller, and more bandwidth. Oh, and this might change with the MBA M4, but the MBP has 4 more hours on the battery. I have been holding off to see what the MBA M4 is, as I would like a bigger screen,

But, with both configured to 16GB RAM and 512Gb storage they are both AUD$2499. Then what to choose, eh?

i am hoping I do not regret holding off for the M4 (bit hard when I have an IPP M4) as the AUD is cratering against the USD and prices could jump.

So this week I am getting one or the other.

edited March 3

timmillea · March 3, 2025 6:55AM

I have an original M1 MacBook Air, 16GB/2TB, with its perfect wedge shape. I see no reason to renew it until the design of the MBA is improved. From an aesthetics point of view, I would regard the current design a downgrade, regardless of chip.

brianus · March 3, 2025 2:45PM

timmillea said:

I have an original M1 MacBook Air, 16GB/2TB, with its perfect wedge shape. I see no reason to renew it until the design of the MBA is improved. From an aesthetics point of view, I would regard the current design a downgrade, regardless of chip.

Although aesthetically I think the newer design is more pleasing when used next to other Apple devices (thin bezels, flat sides, colors that match recent phones and iPads, notch matching my phone), the M1 was the pinnacle of functional design. Hard to improve on the wedge shape and for a device that was marketed for its thinness/portability, it’s odd that the new ones are slightly deeper in one dimension. Unfortunately “bigger overall, but slightly thinner” seems to be the direction all their products are taking now (except the Mac mini, which is thicker, but overall smaller)

brianus · March 3, 2025 2:51PM

tht said:

ApplePoor said:

Since the M3 was a real challenge to make, I wonder if the M2 models will continue as the low cast versions when the M4 chips are installed? They could just ignore the fact of the M3 existence.

Hopefully, they waterfall the M3 MBA 16/256 model to $1000.

The emphasis should be that "the M3 was a challenge to make". It's been about 18 months since N3B has been mass producing chips. Today, costs should have been amortized and production smoothed out so that the M3 is just as cheap as the M2. This is all assuming you should believe the rumors of TSMC N3B being a problem. If it was, it was probably 24 months ago when it was ramping production. Now, it's likely not an issue other than $/mm2 inherent in its production process. After all this time, probably not an issue at all.

If Apple keeps an M2 MBA at $1000, it's going to be for segmentation or work effort reasons, not N3B.

It’s interesting though that the MBA, the only M3 device left in their lineup (despite still having several M2 products), is losing that chip at, as is rumored, possibly the same time or very shortly before the iPad Air gets it. Makes me think for whatever reason they don’t want to maintain two product lines requiring these chips. Also the iPad Air was updated to the A17 just after they stopped using that chip in any other products too… maybe an analogous situation? Maybe they made all the N3B chips they’re ever going to make already, and are just shoving them into two of their less popular products until they run out?

tht · March 3, 2025 4:48PM

brianus said:

tht said:

ApplePoor said:

Since the M3 was a real challenge to make, I wonder if the M2 models will continue as the low cast versions when the M4 chips are installed? They could just ignore the fact of the M3 existence.

Hopefully, they waterfall the M3 MBA 16/256 model to $1000.

The emphasis should be that "the M3 was a challenge to make". It's been about 18 months since N3B has been mass producing chips. Today, costs should have been amortized and production smoothed out so that the M3 is just as cheap as the M2. This is all assuming you should believe the rumors of TSMC N3B being a problem. If it was, it was probably 24 months ago when it was ramping production. Now, it's likely not an issue other than $/mm2 inherent in its production process. After all this time, probably not an issue at all.

If Apple keeps an M2 MBA at $1000, it's going to be for segmentation or work effort reasons, not N3B.

It’s interesting though that the MBA, the only M3 device left in their lineup (despite still having several M2 products), is losing that chip at, as is rumored, possibly the same time or very shortly before the iPad Air gets it. Makes me think for whatever reason they don’t want to maintain two product lines requiring these chips. Also the iPad Air was updated to the A17 just after they stopped using that chip in any other products too… maybe an analogous situation? Maybe they made all the N3B chips they’re ever going to make already, and are just shoving them into two of their less popular products until they run out?

It's probably just a coincidence. There is no such thing as a step function transition of all the product lines. Every product line has their own schedule, and they are updated with the most appropriate hardware per marketing and component availability.

The iPad Air currently uses the M2. They are rumored to be updated to the M3 or M4. The only way they will be updated to the M4 is for the iPad Pro to be updated to the M5 within a month of it. So, if the iPad Air is updated by May, M3 SoCs imo.

The iPad mini was updated with the A17 Pro last October. If the iPad Air is updated to the M3, that means TSMC N3B will be cranking out A17 Pro and M3 SoCs for another year, on order 10 million units or so? We will see what the iPad 11 gets. If it is A17 Pro, then N3B will be cranking out 20, 30 million chips or so.

For CMOS manufacturing, the older nodes are "mature": issues have been worked out, yields have been improved. Chips from older nodes go into cheaper products because they are cheap to make.

applepoor · March 3, 2025 5:10PM

Just did the math on the Apple website and the 15" M3 MBAir (24GB ram and 2 TB SSD) cost is $2,299.00 before taxes and Apple Care, The same specs for a 14" MBPro M4 are available for $2,399.00 before taxes and Apple care.

So for just $100 more one gets a better screen (with option for a nano screen at more cost) and more ports.

brianus · March 3, 2025 5:29PM

tht said:
It's probably just a coincidence. There is no such thing as a step function transition of all the product lines. Every product line has their own schedule, and they are updated with the most appropriate hardware per marketing and component availability.

Well I'm not talking about all the lines, just two of them. If they have a glut of M3 chips because they'd been making them for the MacBook Air (and nothing else, for at least 6 months), then suddenly those chips will be available for the iPad Air (and not needed for anything else) once the MBA gets updated to M4. I don't know how many they made for the MBA, but it's their most popular Mac..

tht · March 3, 2025 6:58PM

brianus said:

tht said:
It's probably just a coincidence. There is no such thing as a step function transition of all the product lines. Every product line has their own schedule, and they are updated with the most appropriate hardware per marketing and component availability.

Well I'm not talking about all the lines, just two of them. If they have a glut of M3 chips because they'd been making them for the MacBook Air (and nothing else, for at least 6 months), then suddenly those chips will be available for the iPad Air (and not needed for anything else) once the MBA gets updated to M4. I don't know how many they made for the MBA, but it's their most popular Mac..

Apple, and most OEMs, do not have component inventory anymore. They have channel inventory where they send final product units out to retail sales channels, but they don't buy components and store them at their own warehouse anymore. Apple knows how many M3 or A17 Pro SoCs they need, contracts TSMC to fab the units, they likely adjust on a month to month basis.

IOW, there aren't any SoCs sitting in the warehouse to be used in other products. Apple doesn't even have a warehouse. They are stored at TSMC if TSMC chooses to do it that way, and it's pretty certain they aren't making more than they are contracted to. When Apple knows when a product is transitioning, and they know at least 6 months ahead of time, they tell TSMC to stop and only produce enough to support the final sales. The retail channels will slowly sell their inventory just like they are doing now with MBAs.

If the M3 is going in to the iPad Air, Apple will contract TSMC to fab x millions more. Same answer for A17 Pros.

I meant component availability in terms of the component being available to fab, not available in a warehouse.

applepoor · March 3, 2025 8:08PM

Today's world is "just in time inventory" so the car production line stops if the ashtray is delayed or a door comes in the wrong color.... I remember in the late 90s a Chrysler/Dodge mini van came in. One side had the Dodge trim and other side had the more up market Chrysler trim. I never did understand how that car made it out of the factory, onto a truck and then to the dealership.

The issue for Apple is there is no one else to blame now for delays or screw ups. They write the operating system and ancillary programs and design the products said programs are to operate there on. Software seems to be basically created outside of China and production of the hardware is off shore except for a few small items. They select the manufacturer who only builds to Apple's specifications.

TSMC makes chips and processes the wafer to create the individual A series or M series chips and sends them to FoxCon in China (or wherever the plant in question is located).

So the big interface is between the software designers and the hardware designers so the special tidbits for function A are also designed into Chip Series A or M or both so the big new thing works. Lots of holes in the floor where a few "bits" could get dropped and the whole deal fails....

M4 MacBook Air is imminent, iPad Air to follow shortly

Performance boosts

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