Remember when Steve Jobs pulled the MacBook Air out of the envelope? At the time, hefty was arguably synonymous with laptops. That's exactly why the MacBook Air was introduced and took the breath away of the major tech media, consumers and even the PC industry.
After all these years, the MacBook Air is once again attracting the attention of the general tech media and consumers. According to the available reports, MacBook Air will receive a big upgrade this year and, Apple may announce this new product at WWDC 22.
MacBook Air adds new colorways: four in total
Last May, Apple tipster Jon Prosser said that the new MacBook Air would add a variety of colorways, similar to those of the 24-inch iMac.
Those of you who know something about Macs will know that Apple introduced a desktop computer called the iMac G3 in 1998 with a colorful, translucent case that changed the perception of desktops while saving Apple from a then-slumping company.
The fact that the new MacBook Air will be available in multiple colorways doesn't surprise me, since Apple introduced the iBook G3 in multiple colorways back in 1999.
It's just not to be, as Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in his latest report that the new MacBook Air could come in an additional colorway (blue) on top of the three colorways (dark sky gray/silver/gold) offered.
Let's ignore the truth of the news for a moment. In terms of product positioning alone, the iMac 24-inch and MacBook Air correspond to the entry-level desktop and notebook models, respectively, and both are primarily thin and light.
As per Apple's thinking in making its products, only its own high-end products are offered in three solid colors. For example, the iPhone 13 Pro series is not as vibrant in terms of colorways compared to the iPhone 13 series, while there is less variety.
Considering that the iMac 24-inch already comes in a variety of colorways, it's not impossible that the new MacBook Air will come in a new colorway to better differentiate it from the MacBook Pro.
MacBook Air: new design, unchanged personal aesthetic
The MacBook Air's wedge-shaped design hasn't changed since its inception in 2008. 2022, however, may be a new turning point for the MacBook Air lineup.
Previously, ZONEofTECH released renders of the new MacBook Air. As you can see from the images below, the new MacBook Air does not follow the previous wedge design, but instead uses the same right-angle cut-edge design as the iPhone and iPad.
From a purely visual perspective, the new MacBook Air is much more unified, even though it's not as thin as the old one. And the charging port has been changed from Type-C to Magsafe, while the 3.5 mm headphone jack has been moved from the right side to the left.
To be honest, I personally feel that the new MacBook Air has a high probability of having right-angle cut edges, because in recent years, the design language of products, whether iPhone, iPad or Mac, has gradually become more uniform.
So it makes sense that the new MacBook Air eliminates the wedge in favor of right-angle cut edges.
MacBook Air: narrower screen bezels, better viewing experience
Last October, Apple introduced the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Compared to the 13-inch MacBook Air/Pro, the 14-inch MacBook has the same body as its predecessor, but with narrower screen bezels. And, of course, the 14-inch MacBook is more powerful.
I thought 14 inches was for the MacBook Pro, but it turns out the new MacBook Air may be coming too.
According to foreign media 9to95Mac, they found the 14-inch MacBook Air on Apple's authorized retailer B&H website.
While the page doesn't have any images or details about this product, we can see that the new MacBook Air comes with an 8+256GB storage combo and the latest M2 chip, in addition to a larger screen size.
To be honest, the larger screen on the new MacBook Air is to be expected, as the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros already use the ultra-narrow bezel bangs screen, leaving only the 13-inch MacBook/Air with the old bangs-free full-screen.
So it makes sense that the new MacBook Air will have a narrower full-screen - it's just a matter of time.
MacBook Air: bangs screen, no Face ID
According to a new report from iDropNews, the new MacBook Air will have a bangscreen design thanks to a narrower screen bezel, but it won't support Face ID.
Personally, I'm going to stay on board with this news. It's like the iPhone SE2, which is also Apple's entry-level phone, and in order to differentiate it from its own digital and Pro series, the iPhone SE 2 not only doesn't have a full-screen, but even the unlock method is still using Touch ID (fingerprint recognition).
And how is it that the MacBook Air, also an entry-level model, is the first to use Face ID when the MacBook Pro line doesn't even use it?
The bangs on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro simply upgrade the front-facing lens from the original 720P to 1080P and incorporate computational video technology that automatically centers the person and keeps them in the same position at all times, and the actual unlock method is fingerprint recognition. So it's not very plausible that the new MacBook Air will use Face ID.
MacBook Air: LCD upgrades OLED
Unlike Face ID, OLED will bring a higher quality screen to the new MacBook Air. According to The Elec, BOE will be supplying OLEDs for the iPad and MacBook Air.
Previously, the foreign media also said that LG and Samsung are planning to open a new OLED production line, the purpose is to take the Apple iPad and MacBook series of OLED orders.
Personally, I don't think Apple will release an OLED MacBook Air that soon, at least not this year. Theoretically, OLED color performance is better than Mini LED, but the lifespan is shorter than the latter.
Apple has only been releasing Mini LED-powered 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros since last year, and until then, MacBooks have been using LCD screens. If Apple were to release an OLED MacBook Air this year, it would put the MacBook Pro lineup in an awkward position.
MacBook Air: M2 Plus, another performance breakthrough
That's about it for the new MacBook Air screen, but in terms of performance, DigTimes reports that the M2 chip will use a 4 nm process, which is better than the current 5 nm process in terms of both performance and power consumption. However, the M2 CPU core count remains the same as the M1, with 4 performance cores and 4 power-efficient cores.
On paper alone, the M2's theoretical performance increase may not be as significant. Considering that the M1 is topped by the M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 UItra, if the M2 theoretically outperforms the M1 Pro, that means the entry-level Mac Book is better than both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro.
If that hypothesis holds true, it's also possible that Apple could release both a full-blooded and a handicapped version of the M2 - after all, there are already precedents on the mobile and iPad sides.
The iPad Pro 2020 model's A12Z, for example, unlocks one GPU core compared to the iPad Pro 2019 model's A12X, and the iPhone 13's A15 Imitation, for example, has one less GPU core compared to the iPhone 13 Pro's A15 Imitation.
While the M1 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple has maintained an even-handed approach, who can predict whether Apple will move this chip strategy to the MacBook in the meantime?
Summary
With all the information available, the odds are pretty high that the new MacBook Air will be unveiled at WWDC 22, but given the impact of the epidemic on the global supply chain, it's also possible that the new MacBook Air will be delayed until later this year.
It's true that the strongest perception of a product is the change in its appearance. Just as a folding screen phone has a greater visual impact than a traditional phone, so the new MacBook Air will give them a sense of freshness, especially if they are looking for a product with a high value.
If you look at the new product, all that's left is the usual hardware upgrades. From a purely practical standpoint, the new MacBook Air has no significant changes in features or interactions over its predecessor, which may not be as appealing to MacBook Air veterans.