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

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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.

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.

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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

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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.

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