New MacBook Air could debut later in 2022 to further spark Mac sales

Apple has a MacBook Air inbound for this year, and it will land in the second half of 2022, a report claims – and this isn’t the first we’ve heard that from the rumor mill.

DigiTimes asserts that its sources from the supply chain – insiders in the firms involved in making parts for Apple’s laptops – have supplied some fresh gossip on the incoming redesigned MacBook Air.

The tech site wrote: “Apple’s MacBook series are high-end consumer devices, but can also be regarded as a business notebook model as they are favored by many companies or office workers, the sources indicated, adding that hot sales of MacBook Pro released in late 2021 have lingered into the first quarter of 2022, with shipment volumes higher than expected, and new MacBook Air set for launch in the second half of the year is expected to add further sales momentum.”

Recent rumors have indicated that Apple will bump up the display size slightly on the next MacBook Air, from the current 13.3-inch screen to a 13.6-inch panel, as theorized by analyst Ross Young, a well-known source of Apple leaks. (It’s also thought that the company could make an even bigger move in 2023 with the introduction of a 15-inch Air alongside the 13-inch form-factor).

Analysis: Plentiful rumors around the incoming Air

This latest rumor regarding the launch timeframe of the next MacBook Air marries with what we’ve recently heard from one of the more reliable Apple sources out there, Mark Gurman. In recent newsletters, Gurman has suggested that Apple planned to have the redesigned MacBook Air out already – indeed, the original intention was supposedly to debut the laptop in late 2021 – but has delayed it to later in 2022. It’s rumored to use the M2 chip, which would make sense as the next-gen silicon should be ready at that point.

Another heavyweight Apple leaker, Ming-Chi Kuo, has also claimed that the new MacBook Air is set to go into mass production most likely in Q3, meaning units would be ready to hit shelves later in 2022. Certainly the rumor mill now seems to be lining up behind this idea, and when those individual pieces of speculation are considered together, they do, of course, seem more likely.

It also makes sense that Apple would want to push forward with further energizing Mac sales, which seem to be ticking along nicely, by debuting new models later this year (we may also see a revamped MacBook Pro 13-inch with M2 chip, other rumors have hinted).

Do we even want a MacBook Air 15-inch? Here’s why we’re not so sure

Via MacRumors