Next MacBook Air Will Feature Faster Apple Silicon Chip With Up to 10 Graphics Cores

[Warped9]

The switch to M1 in the current MBA while maintaining the existing price point was a killer move by Apple. Anyone coming in for a MBA or even MBP and had even an inkling about the M1 MBA unanimously took the M1 Air.

This has already been done with the new M1 iMac. The entry 24in. is superior to the top tier of the 21.5 (and some tiers of the 27) while priced a bit more than the 21.5’s entry tier, a bit cheaper than the mid tier and significantly less than the top tier. It’s a huge win.

If Apple retains the existing price point for the new redesigned Air it will be another killer move. Most who buy mainstream laptops generally don’t think too much about the aesthetics of the device, being more concerned with capability balanced with price. Basically they don’t expect much, but there are exceptions. And we have been seeing more colour from PC laptop manufacturers, but they tend to be medium to dark hues of gray, silver, blue and champagne gold. You see the odd red hue.

But Apple’s colour options on the new MBA are going to make most of the rest of the market look damned dour and meh. I don’t think it’s reaching to think this could draw a lot more folks to seriously consider switching to Mac. Note, too, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic where everyone is looking for some cheer and brightness in their lives. Like the 24in. iMac the introduction the timing couldn’t have been more apt.

 

[Wackery]

The switch to M1 in the current MBA while maintaining the existing price point was a killer move by Apple. Anyone coming in for a MBA or even MBP and had even an inkling about the M1 MBA unanimously took the M1 Air.

This has already been done with the new M1 iMac. The entry 24in. is superior to the top tier of the 21.5 (and some tiers of the 27) while priced a bit more than the 21.5’s entry tier, a bit cheaper than the mid tier and significantly less than the top tier. It’s a huge win.

If Apple retains the existing price point for the new redesigned Air it will be another killer move. Most who buy mainstream laptops generally don’t think too much about the aesthetics of the device, being more concerned with capability balanced with price. Basically they don’t expect much, but there are exceptions. And we have been seeing more colour from PC laptop manufacturers, but they tend to be medium to dark hues of gray, silver, blue and champagne gold. You see the odd red hue.

But Apple’s colour options on the new MBA are going to make most of the rest of the market look damned dour and meh. I don’t think it’s reaching to think this could draw a lot more folks to seriously consider switching to Mac. Note, too, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic where everyone is looking for some cheer and brightness in their lives. Like the 24in. iMac the introduction the timing couldn’t have been more apt.

M1 is basically a shotgun blast to intel's face. Basically showing that all other things being equal, Apple's technology implementation is better.

 

[Macadvn]

It's also just a rumor if it's true, then a 13 inch macbook pro with Staten would be in my work aid kit.

 

[BigPotatoLobbyist]

Won't matter if they give the thing a white bezel and keyboard, as I won't be buying it.

Yeah I don't know if I have a *strong* opinion on it yet, it's intriguing, but if I had to choose right now I'd say "keep it as is" wrt the keyboard in a "ain't broke don't fix it" sense.

We'll see though, on the other hand it may improve visibility in certain lighting and the contrast with the colors could be nice.

 

[BigPotatoLobbyist]

On the topic of MagSafe: USB-C is really awesome to me, been using it since 2017 and I still occasionally smile in relief having a spare USB-C cord in my bag when commuting/studying somewhere. As a bonus, with the way the MBA sips power, even charging at "only" 20W from a phone charger for an hour or so isn't half-bad at all, because a mere 20% of a boost is meaningful for work. So I truly hope they at least implement USB-C charging in the ports in addition to the MagSafe standard. A step backwards for interoperability and the value proposition to me if not. Standards = good, as long as they are... good standards (and USB-C is indeed a good standard overall despite the data compatibility implementations is a good standard charging wise alongside USB PD).


I wonder what they'll do pricing wise. Will it be f*cking 1299 starting? Or maybe 1099 (so only minor bump). and current MacBook Air design now starts at 899, in a sort of iPhone model to sell to mid-range customers.

I just hope they don't try the 1199-1399 starting with 8GB/256GB. Feels like even with M1X, this would be just a bit much.

 

[deuxani]

It seems highly unlikely that Apple will bring the bold colors to the MacBook Pro. Colors are typically for lower-end products that are marketed toward the average person. See the candy-colored iMac (1999-2001), the iPod mini / nano, the 2021 iMac, and presumably the 2021/2022 MacBook Air.

That’s why I said the regular MacBook, I didn’t mention the Pro 2 years ago there was a MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro’s. Now we only have Air and Pro’s. So an entry level regular MacBook with colours makes more sense to me then it being the new Air.

 

[Orange Zig-Zags]

Obsolete how? You're posting on a rumor article for a product not yet released.

Does he really have to pus /s at the end?

 

[0lf]

According to Anandtech, no. https://www.anandtech.com/show/16192/the-iphone-12-review/2

Yes, my initial message in not well formulated. I should have said the A14 looks like an A13 with faster clock from the outside (the way I wrote the sentence makes no sense with the end of the post).
Keep in mind here no architectural information is given on this futur MBA SoC beside being 4+4 CPU and 9 tp 10 GPU. With the same level of information, the A14 indeed looks like an A13 2+4 CPU and 4 cores GPU with faster clock.

 

[MacBH928]

I once read this probably here "Your computer is outdated the day you buy it"

 

[Warped9]

It seems highly unlikely that Apple will bring the bold colors to the MacBook Pro. Colors are typically for lower-end products that are marketed toward the average person.

What an elitist attitude. Colour is only for the “little people” who don’t know better or deserve better. A “serious” device needs to be a proper grey or perhaps silver for a daring touch of flash?

Seriously, WTF!

 

[Wanted797]

I’m wondering if Apple is going to kill the 13” MacBook Pro, leaving that spot for the new 16”.

 

[Warped9]

We know there is a redesigned 14 and 16in. MacBook Pro coming. I suspect the redesigned MacBook Air will be 14in. as well although little if anything has been said about it.

I suspect it because that appears to be the trend to have the biggest display within a given footprint. It’s been happening over a range of Apple’s products starting with iPhones, then iPads, then the MacBook Pro going from 15 to 16 inches, and the iMac going from 21.5 to 24. And now the confirmed 14in. MacBook Pro.

 

[Admiral]

That sounds like a very underwhelming and yet unnecessary upgrade. 2 more graphic cores ain't going to change anything to what is already a good machine. Either make it a bigger upgrade or don't bother.

Sounds great to me. The next MacBook Air will feature the next generation of Apple Silicon, and the history of Apple's ARM CPU development has been a consistent 15-25% uplift in performance year over year. This has not been our experience with Intel.

 

[BigPotatoLobbyist]

it’s hilarious but I don’t even give a **** about CPU upgrades with it, my M1 Air feels like an iPhone on steroids in that I can ****ing name my final day with it rather than lug it through the dreaded days of (practical) obsolescence by lag and all.
So with that having been said…

I’d like them to increase the screen size to 14 inches or offer a 15 inch model, put a 60-70KWH battery inside, and increase the display’s brightness output, and contrast. Just do it - throw a ****in’ OLED in at this rate, haha.

As I’m typing this I realize I just want a miniLED MacBook Pro without touchbar and bezels lmao

 

[BigPotatoLobbyist]

I’m wondering if Apple is going to kill the 13” MacBook Pro, leaving that spot for the new 16”.

Not a snowball’s chance in hell, the base size 13 inch air and pro are the primary entrypoints for the Mac and clearly serve different audiences, and do so quite well IMO (or did).

 

[ikramerica]

I once read this probably here "Your computer is outdated the day you buy it"

And a car loses value the minute you drive it off the lot. Even a used one.

Everyone griping about how their new product is obsolete should remember the 90s PPC times. Macs cost 3x as much in today’s dollar bucks, and upgraded systems were coming out 2-3x a year.

Of course, back then, there were ways to upgrade your machines with faster processors, more RAM, graphics cards, etc. Now, you are “stuck” with what you bought as is for as long as you have it.

What an elitist attitude. Colour is only for the “little people” who don’t know better or deserve better. A “serious” device needs to be a proper grey or perhaps silver for a daring touch of flash?

Seriously, WTF!

Don’t shoot the messenger. It’s just how Apple is.

Same reason that economy cars come in “fun” colors but luxury cars don’t, unless you want to show how hip you are by special ordering an exotic color scheme for the added cost of an econobox.

 

[MacBH928]

And a car loses value the minute you drive it off the lot. Even a used one.

Everyone griping about how their new product is obsolete should remember the 90s PPC times. Macs cost 3x as much in today’s dollar bucks, and upgraded systems were coming out 2-3x a year.

Of course, back then, there were ways to upgrade your machines with faster processors, more RAM, graphics cards, etc. Now, you are “stuck” with what you bought as is for as long as you have it.

While its true, its ok if it was a spec bump but sometimes you buy a laptop and after 3-4 months they release an all new design with special new chips and capabilities. This is where it hurts. Like if you bought an MBA Air and 3 months later they come out with MBA M1.

As for the 90s, I really feel sorry for those guys I don't know how they felt. Especially places like educational institutes and corporates. They used to buy like 10 computers for $20-30K then 2-3 years later they are literally deprecated and unable to run current software.

 

[ikramerica]

While its true, its ok if it was a spec bump but sometimes you buy a laptop and after 3-4 months they release an all new design with special new chips and capabilities. This is where it hurts. Like if you bought an MBA Air and 3 months later they come out with MBA M1.

As for the 90s, I really feel sorry for those guys I don't know how they felt. Especially places like educational institutes and corporates. They used to buy like 10 computers for $20-30K then 2-3 years later they are literally deprecated and unable to run current software.

True.

But if you buy a computer because you need one, and you are happy with it when you get it, don’t worry about next month.

When it stops being useful, then move on. My computer is still useful after 8 years.

The issue of course is that these machines are part of the Jobs vision of “complete machines with no user upgrades available.” He hated the Apple I and II in that regard, which is why the original Macs had no upgrade options (except 1 model had a RAM slot). When he was ousted, Macs appeared with PDS slots, RAM slots, coprocessor slots, NuBus slots.

When Jobs returned, the PDS slot went away, and upgrades for the consumer line became more and more limited over time. We are now back to the “you buy it, you use it, that’s it” Jobsian dream for consumer products. From iPhone to iPad to iMac to mini to MacBook, no upgrades after purchase.

 

[MacBH928]

True.

But if you buy a computer because you need one, and you are happy with it when you get it, don’t worry about next month.

When it stops being useful, then move on. My computer is still useful after 8 years.

The issue of course is that these machines are part of the Jobs vision of “complete machines with no user upgrades available.” He hated the Apple I and II in that regard, which is why the original Macs had no upgrade options (except 1 model had a RAM slot). When he was ousted, Macs appeared with PDS slots, RAM slots, coprocessor slots, NuBus slots.

When Jobs returned, the PDS slot went away, and upgrades for the consumer line became more and more limited over time. We are now back to the “you buy it, you use it, that’s it” Jobsian dream for consumer products. From iPhone to iPad to iMac to mini to MacBook, no upgrades after purchase.

Whatever that vision is, if it keeps giving I am ok with it. Its a known fact that Apple devices keep working and giving much longer than their competitors, not upgradable yes, but works.

 

[paffko]

How about introducing a Macbook focused on new features rather than just performance? I would appreciate eSIM / 5G support, a much better camera and maybe Bluetooth version 5.2.

 

[quarkysg]

The issue of course is that these machines are part of the Jobs vision of “complete machines with no user upgrades available.” He hated the Apple I and II in that regard, which is why the original Macs had no upgrade options (except 1 model had a RAM slot). When he was ousted, Macs appeared with PDS slots, RAM slots, coprocessor slots, NuBus slots.

When Jobs returned, the PDS slot went away, and upgrades for the consumer line became more and more limited over time. We are now back to the “you buy it, you use it, that’s it” Jobsian dream for consumer products. From iPhone to iPad to iMac to mini to MacBook, no upgrades after purchase.

My opinion on this is most likely Apple found that most of their non-pro customers do not touch the Macs they bought once it’s delivered. The B/W PowerMac G3 and later successor all feature PCI slots, RAM slots and even CPU sockets. So it’s most likely a cost cutting exercise. When Jobs returned to Apple, it’s bleeding cash, so cost cutting is paramount. Unfortunately, when devices gets ever thinner, user serviceable parts becomes harder and harder to engineer.

 

[cmaier]

My opinion on this is most likely Apple found that most of their non-pro customers do not touch the Macs they bought once it’s delivered. The B/W PowerMac G3 and later successor all feature PCI slots, RAM slots and even CPU sockets. So it’s most likely a cost cutting exercise. When Jobs returned to Apple, it’s bleeding cash, so cost cutting is paramount. Unfortunately, when devices gets ever thinner, user serviceable parts becomes harder and harder to engineer.

Neither do pro customers. They depreciate their machines, take the tax deductions, and buy new ones. And businesses which buy many machines for creatives don’t upgrade the machines either. It’s mostly hobbiests who don’t make money with their machines/have cashflow who crack them open and upgrade them one part at a time.

 

[Warped9]

Neither do pro customers. They depreciate their machines, take the tax deductions, and buy new ones. And businesses which buy many machines for creatives don’t upgrade the machines either. It’s mostly hobbiests who don’t make money with their machines/have cashflow who crack them open and upgrade them one part at a time.

My computer is largely for entertainment and I don't make money from it. I bought it new ten years ago and while I could have afforded a new machine I chose to upgrade my existing one for less money, something a lot of people are not likely to do. Over the years I added more RAM starting with 8GB over the factory 4 then later upping it to 16 and now 32 about a year and a half ago. About that time I also swapped out the original i5 chip for the highest i7 the computer would accept and installed a 500GB Samsung Evo SSD to replace my previous 500GB hard drive. I have been very happy with the results. My only (somewhat) setback is that I cannot upgrade the OS past High Sierra, which presently isn't really an issue.

To get a new 21.5 iMac comparable to what I have now (well, a bit better) would have cost me about $3300 Canadian. My upgrades over the years cost me maybe $800 Canadian.

My 2011 iMac I bought off the shelf. My next iMac I will order it configured the way I want for my needs even though an M1 iMac with 16GB RAM should perform quite well for what I want. Even so I want a machine that will last me (hopefully) another ten years. So I want 32GB RAM and 512 or 1TB SSD assuming the next upgrade allows for that. By that time the next upgraded M chip should be available.

I'm happy with my 21.4 so a 24 would be ideal given it's physically not much bigger than what I have now. I don't need a 27, 30 or 32in. display.

Since I'm not yet desperate for a new computer I can wait to see if the fortchoming bigger iMac offers what I want for a reasonable price or if I wait for the upgrade to the 24.


I do find it interesting how many people I've met who didn't realize they could upgrade the RAM in their older iMacs and put up with ever slower performance. I had upgraded the RAM in my G3 and eMac as well back in the day.

 

[darngooddesign]

I’m wondering if Apple is going to kill the 13” MacBook Pro, leaving that spot for the new 16”.

I suspect Apple will keep the MBA's design, but replace the 13" MBP with the 14" and 16" MBPs using the upcoming, new design.