Skip to main content

Apple delays MacBook Air as the wait for an update goes on

If you’ve been waiting for a new MacBook Air, we’ve got some bad news: Apple might have delayed it until later this year. That’s a blow given we’ve been hearing for months that it could launch any time now.

The information comes from well-known reporter Mark Gurman. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman asserts that Apple originally intended to release a totally redesigned MacBook Air at the end of 2021 or early in 2022, but that this has now been pushed back to the second half of 2022.

A MacBook Air 2020 open on a wooden table.
Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

That lines up with a report from industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in September 2021, where the reputable tipster claimed that the next MacBook Air would enter production in late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2022, which equates to roughly the middle of the year. If that’s correct, the next MacBook Air could potentially be unveiled around September or October.

In his newsletter, Gurman explained the upcoming MacBook Air would feature “an all-new design, MagSafe, the M2 chip, and more.” Apple is widely expected to swap out the iconic wedge-shaped chassis of the MacBook Air for a flatter design, and if leaker Jon Prosser is right, it might also come in a range of bright colors too.

The wait for a new MacBook Pro

The 2021 MacBook Pro with the lid open on a white table.

Gurman also touched on the MacBook Pro in his weekly newsletter, explaining that Apple probably won’t update its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models until 2023 — meaning you shouldn’t expect any changes this year.

That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as Apple usually waits two to three years between significant MacBook Pro upgrades so as not to cannibalize sales of previous and existing models. Since these devices were launched in late 2021, any update this year would be premature.

When the update does arrive, Gurman believes the new laptops will be outfitted with the M2 Pro and M2 Max, the next generation of Apple’s pro-level chips. That should represent an excellent performance boost over the current M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

However, there is one MacBook Pro that Gurman thinks will be refreshed this year: The entry-level MacBook Pro 13. This will probably be a small-scale affair, with the inclusion of an M2 chip being the most notable change.

In fact, there will be seven new Macs launched throughout 2022, according to Gurman. That includes the Mac Studio that was unveiled at Apple’s Peek Performance event, a new iMac Pro, and more.

Editors' Recommendations

Apple confirms a new Mac Pro is coming — but when will it launch?
Tim Cook presenting the Mac Pro on stage at WWDC in 2019.

It’s been a long wait for Apple to launch a new Mac Pro powered by an Apple silicon chip, but Apple is still committed to making it a reality. That’s according to a senior Apple executive, who confirmed the news in an interview with India Today.

The statement from Bob Borchers, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, is the first time Apple has given any official word on the upcoming Mac Pro since the company’s hardware exec John Ternus said in March 2022 that it was “for another day".

Read more
Apple’s security trumps Microsoft and Twitter’s, say feds
Apple's Craig Federighi speaking about macOS security at WWDC 2022.

Apple has long held a reputation for rock-solid security, and now the U.S. government seemingly agrees after praising the company for its security procedures. At the same time, the feds have suggested Microsoft and Twitter need to pull their socks up and make their products much more secure for their users, according to CNBC.

In a speech given at Carnegie Mellon University, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly pointed to Apple as a company that took security and accountability seriously, and suggested other companies should take note.

Read more
Apple’s second-generation VR headset is already in the works
A rendering of an Apple mixed-reality headset (Reality Pro) in a gold color seen from the front.

Apple’s first mixed-reality headset hasn’t even been released, yet the company is already working on a second-generation model that will bring even more power and performance to the table, according to a new report. That suggests we might not have long to wait before the successor device hits the shelves.

The news comes from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter. Gurman claims that the first edition of the headset -- likely dubbed Reality Pro -- will come with the same M2 chip that powers the latest MacBook Air, plus a separate chip that will handle augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences.

Read more