Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Battery Likely for New MacBook Air Again Spotted in Certification Listings

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
69,417
40,463


Rumors suggest an updated MacBook Air could be launching sooner rather than later, and we've already seen certifications for a possible MacBook Air battery recently filed in China and Denmark. Now the same battery has appeared on Safety Korea Certification, along with an image of the battery that strongly suggests it's for a new MacBook Air model (via 91mobiles).

apple-macbook-battery-safety-korea.jpeg

The current MacBook Air has a 49.9Wh battery, which is matched in this new model type (A2389) featuring a 4380mAh capacity. The model number A1965 has been used in the last few ‌MacBook Air‌ generations.

We're still none the wiser about exactly when a new MacBook Air might launch, because regulatory bodies sometimes approve and test new hardware months before a new product comes out. However, several rumors have suggested that the ‌MacBook Air‌ will be one of the first Macs to get an Apple Silicon chip, and the new Arm-based machine could come before the end of 2020.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the 13-inch MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to be updated with an Apple Silicon chip, with an update set to come in the fourth quarter of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021. DigiTimes also believes the Arm-based MacBook Air will be released in 2020.

Apple has confirmed that it will be transitioning to its own custom Apple Silicon processors, and said we can expect new Arm-based Macs before the end of the year, but it didn't give away which Mac model would be the first Apple Silicon-powered machine.

apple-macbook-battery-safety-korea-2.jpeg

Apple already updated the MacBook Air in March 2020 with more internal storage, 10th-generation Intel processors, and a more reliable scissor-switch keyboard, but it's not out of the question that a second update could come this year given the swap to ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips.

In addition to performance benefits, Apple Silicon‌ chips are expected to be much more power efficient than the current Intel chips used in the ‌MacBook Air‌ lineup. That could see the same 49.9Wh battery improve upon the current MacBook Air's 11 hours of battery life when browsing the web and up to 12 hours when using the Apple TV app for watching movies.

For more on what we're expecting for the next ‌MacBook Air‌, check out our MacBook Air roundup, and for details on Apple's transition to ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips, read our in-depth guide.

Article Link: Battery Likely for New MacBook Air Again Spotted in Certification Listings
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/08/05/new-macbook-air-battery-cert-appears/
Last edited:
Just an observation : the plastic part that’s near the fan on current MBAs is quite different and doesn’t follow the arc shape of the current fan housing. Could either mean that the fan design has changed or that there’s none. I’m quite surprised however about what would take the place of the fan if it’s removed because apparently that is not for additional battery capacity and probably not a larger motherboard. Better speakers ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dr. Echsel, ZZ9pluralZalpha, iLoma and 2 others
Same battery level, on an Apple Silicon 5nm that should increase the battery life from 9-10 hours to about 13-14 real battery life
 
It seems like an assumption to conclude that this is for a new MacBook Air. Surely the shift to Arm cpus will result in full redesigns of every Mac they go in. Apple have a series of choice that they will be making (probably already made!) about how to balance the triumvirate of constraints: battery life, size (thinness) and performance. All are linked and picking the right balance between them will surely result in different case designs and battery capacities. Therefore to assume that these are destined for the Air seems to be making an unjustified leap.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
Reactions: Dr. Echsel, ZZ9pluralZalpha, Marlon DLTH :) and 1 other person
aberamati said:
It will have much better standby time
Click to expand...
i guess around 30 days...since the AS will have cpu always on for instant on..like on ipads/iphone. They showed on the keynote also..but again who needs more than 20-30 days for stand by...we need battery life and there will all start
I tried a lot of windows laptops that claimed "18-20 hours " and i got no where near that even at 50% nits and with very light usage....trash....but with macos and silicone all controlled by the same company we can really see 12-15 hours of usage
 
It’s a leap but the battery design is basically identical to current MBAs.
if it is for another product it would mean that Apple redesigned another of their laptops in a way that coincidentally made the battery packs arrangement identical to current MBAs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jimmy James
If be very surprised if it’s a MBA refresh of the same chassis, given how poor the thermal performance currently is.
If hedge my bets that this is for the first ARM MacBook.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jimmy James
I can't see it being branded Air. I think they will look to simplify it with MacBook and MacBook Pro in line with the rest of the lineup.
 
MayaTlab said:
It’s a leap but the battery design is basically identical to current MBAs.
if it is for another product it would mean that Apple redesigned another of their laptops in a way that coincidentally made the battery packs arrangement identical to current MBAs.
Click to expand...

It would actually seem really unexpected to me if the first Arm Macs have the same enclosures as the intel ones they are replacing. It would be strange if they have the same battery size unless apple are happy to box themselves in to offering either huge increases in performance or battery life whilst not changing how their machines look. I'd expect them to target improving all three so that they can claim "best battery life, fastest ever laptop and thinnest case in class" or something like that.

Maybe we are looking at the MacBook Pro 13" being an evolution of the MacBook Air. Perhaps everything is going to take a step down in thickness. With the air adopting something similar to the MacBook chassis.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marty_Macfly
The only way this is for an Intel MacBook Air refresh is if Apple is trying to rectify the nonsense with the current 2020 Air's cooling system (though, why that would necessitate a different battery, let alone anything other than the addition of a heat pipe is beyond me).

Otherwise, it's worth pointing out that you're not going to get an Apple Silicon Mac running Catalina. Therefore, we're not seeing any Apple Silicon Macs until Big Sur is released. Given that we're still waiting on the Big Sur Public Beta, we may not see ANY Apple Silicon Macs until October at the earliest...
 
  • Like
Reactions: manu chao
Yebubbleman said:
The only way this is for an Intel MacBook Air refresh is if Apple is trying to rectify the nonsense with the current 2020 Air's cooling system (though, why that would necessitate a different battery, let alone anything other than the addition of a heat pipe is beyond me).
Click to expand...
Exactly. The current MBA feels more like a stop-gap product than a long term vision. I don't see how a spec bump is going to address the thermals, or a new a battery.
 
robinp said:
It would actually seem really unexpected to me if the first Arm Macs have the same enclosures as the intel ones they are replacing. It would be strange if they have the same battery size unless apple are happy to box themselves in to offering either huge increases in performance or battery life whilst not changing how their machines look. I'd expect them to target improving all three so that they can claim "best battery life, fastest ever laptop and thinnest case in class" or something like that.

Maybe we are looking at the MacBook Pro 13" being an evolution of the MacBook Air. Perhaps everything is going to take a step down in thickness. With the air adopting something similar to the MacBook chassis.
Click to expand...
I’m not sure why people continue to say the design has to change with Apple silicon, that’s not necessarily true. Most of the Intel machines changed very little during the Intel transition. I’m not saying a redesign is unlikely, it does make sense. But, Apple has been planning this transition for a while, it’s not impossible that the current MacBook Air was designed with both Intel and Apple silicon in mind.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marty_Macfly, JPack and Zackmd1
robinp said:
It would actually seem really unexpected to me if the first Arm Macs have the same enclosures as the intel ones they are replacing.
Click to expand...

Don't disagree but that battery package is eerily similar to the current MBAs, plastic part near the fan aside.
During the Intel transition some designs remained somewhat similar at first and were only changed later on.
I would be surprised to see the MBA being re-branded as the new MBP without design changes as well. Besides I think that the MBP chassis would have to accommodate performances commensurate with the position of the current top of the line 13" MBP and I'm not sure that the Air chassis would cut it (particularly if it is fan-less).
So IMO the most likely explanation is that this battery is for a MBA with no significant external redesign. Presumably with an ARM chip, possibly with a redesign of the thermal system.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marty_Macfly
Spock said:
I’m not sure why people continue to say the design has to change with Apple silicon, that’s not necessarily true. Most of the Intel machines changed very little during the Intel transition. I’m not saying a redesign is unlikely, it does make sense. But, Apple has been planning this transition for a while, it’s not impossible that the current MacBook Air was designed with both Intel and Apple silicon in mind.
Click to expand...

Of course it isn't certain, it would just seem strange to go to so much effort and disruption to keep the machines looking the same. The change from PPC to Intel didn't really change the thermals much. Except of course, the infamous lack of G5 powerbook. So it let apple produce high performance laptops that they hadn't been able to do before.

But yeah, there is a choice between the three constraints. I can't see why they would go to the effort and disruption supposedly to allow them to make products that otherwise wouldn't be possible, to just stick the new tech in the old boxes.

That's just my expectation. Perhaps changing everything at once is just too difficult and they take the approach of the development kit and just cobble something together. It would be unlike them though. Apple today is quite a different company to the one that started the Intel transition 15 years ago and has completely different capabilities and resources.
 
Spock said:
I’m not sure why people continue to say the design has to change with Apple silicon, that’s not necessarily true. Most of the Intel machines changed very little during the Intel transition. I’m not saying a redesign is unlikely, it does make sense. But, Apple has been planning this transition for a while, it’s not impossible that the current MacBook Air was designed with both Intel and Apple silicon in mind.
Click to expand...

Agree. The current rumors have stated that most first gen AS Macs will stick with their Intel designs at least until next year. The iMac is an exception since it was already in desperate need of a design update. The current MBA seems like it was already designed with AS in mind (cooling system, other odd bits for an Intel machine) and the 13" MBP is awaiting mini LED before it gets it's redesign next year.

So I fully expect to see a MacBook air/MacBook (they could drop the air branding) with the same design, an AS MacBook pro 13" that replaces the two lower tier slots with no redesign, and a completely redesigned 24" iMac by the end of the year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Spock
robinp said:
Of course it isn't certain, it would just seem strange to go to so much effort and disruption to keep the machines looking the same. The change from PPC to Intel didn't really change the thermals much. Except of course, the infamous lack of G5 powerbook. So it let apple produce high performance laptops that they hadn't been able to do before.

But yeah, there is a choice between the three constraints. I can't see why they would go to the effort and disruption supposedly to allow them to make products that otherwise wouldn't be possible, to just stick the new tech in the old boxes.

That's just my expectation. Perhaps changing everything at once is just too difficult and they take the approach of the development kit and just cobble something together. It would be unlike them though. Apple today is quite a different company to the one that started the Intel transition 15 years ago and has completely different capabilities and resources.
Click to expand...

I think we will see the new 14” MBP and a 24” iMac with Apple silicone together with a new MacBook [which this battery may be for]. All new designs but nothing super new except the iMac.

Apple probably wont want to shock customers too much but will also not want to miss the opportunity for thinness, power and battery life. So I am expecting some cool stuff in the next few months / years.
Hopefully I should be able to Remote Desktop into my new PC....... No more boot camp for me [which is good really and has forced my hand] and some super nice revolutionary laptops. I am really loving what I am hearing in terms of the opportunites with AS.
 
It’s hard to know yet whether Apple will price their silicon macs higher or lower than the equivalent Intel version, but I can tell you now if Apple is able to out-perform intel machines and still cut the price of their products because of higher margin, the market share of Apple products is going to take a significant leap, and we might be nearing the territory that Apple cult members/long time fans have known would be coming at some point, which is an Apple world, technology speaking. The walls are finally closing in....
 
I like how all the recent parts leak photos are taken on the same beige background.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back