Following the presentation of the 2021 MacBook Pros, the next-generation MacBook Airs have become one of the products that is generating the most interest for three main reasons: their launch would be closer than we think (they could be announced within a period of 6 months), would have a major hardware renovation and could also release a major design change.
Regarding the presentation date, right now everything seems to indicate that we could see the new MacBook Air between March and April 2022, that is, in about six months, as we have said previously. These dates are not confirmed, but they have a lot of credibility, and in principle there is nothing that makes us think that they could not come to pass.
At the hardware level, it is clear that one of the most important changes would be using the new Apple M1 Pro SoC. I am not sure that they will also mount the Apple M1 Max SoC, but something tells me that this chip could end up being an exclusive to MacBook Pro, and that therefore it will not be available in the next MacBook Air.
Other important changes at the hardware level that we expect to take place are the jump to a screen mini-LEDs with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and an expansion of the amount of RAM and storage capacity available in the default configurations. The price, yes, could end up being higher than that of the current generation.
As far as the design is concerned, two notable changes are rumored. The first will be the adoption of an approach similar to what we saw in next-gen iMac, which means that the 2022 MacBook Airs will keep the aluminum chassis, but with more angular lines and a colorful finish. The available colors should be similar to what we saw on the iMac series.
The second change that has been the subject of numerous rumors, most notably following statements from Shruti Haldea, Mac Product Line Manager, and Luke Tristram, Senior Product Manager for Professional Video Applications, justifying the use of a notch in the top of the screen to make the screen “taller.” This has generated a stream of rumors that ensure that the MacBook Air 2022 will come with a notch on the screen which, in theory, would be identical to the one released by the new 2021 MacBook Pro. It is not confirmed, but it has credibility and is very interesting.