Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
When will the MBA get an overall design refresh?
- Thread starter Congressmann
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I use my 2018 Air every single day for hours at a time, and my eyes have never gotten sore from "uneven" bezels. I never even notice them. I just fire up my computer and get my stuff done and move on with my life. I think in the scheme of things, uneven bezels are the least of the world's worries right now. I can guarantee if you were to conduct a poll, 99.9% of people who use the Air couldn't give a flip about the bezels surrounding the display. Me included.
1. Not counting the 2-port 13" MacBook Pro - which honestly was the true successor to the 2010-2017 MacBook Airs - The MacBook Air's last design refresh was in 2018 and has persisted across four releases. I would say it's much more likely that we'll see a design refresh of the MacBook Pros before we see it on the MacBook Airs. We're already set to see such a design refresh on the Pros next year with the launch of the Apple Silicon 16" MacBook Pro and whatever Apple Silicon Mac notebook replaces the current 2020 4-port Intel 13" MacBook Pro. That is, if rumors are to be believed. I'd expect the Air to be similarly redesigned a couple years thereafter.
2. Whatever M1's successor SoC, plus maybe a CTO option for a fan. Possibly RAM options beyond 16GB. I wouldn't bank on four Thunderbolt ports; though I could totally see three (the tapered design makes it difficult to fit more than two ports of any variety on that thing; they'd have to either reposition or remove the headphone jack to do four). Otherwise, I expect it to be externally similar to the 2020 MacBook Airs.
I agree. I'd put money on a MacBook Pro redesign in 2021 since it's current style is from 2016, especially for the "more Pro" units with 4 USB-C ports. But Apple will keep the current design of the MacBook Air for at least another year or two, if not longer since it's the more economic laptop, and was redesigned in 2018. BTW...remember how long the Air kept the same design from 2010-2017?
Hard to imagine how to make these laptops look better. For the Pro, I could see the removal of the bezels, a 14" form factor, a better display and camera, and a new color option being all that changes. They won't make it lighter than the Air.
Do keep in mind that Apple effectively tried to fork off the MacBook Air into the MacBook (which eventually turned into the 2018-2020 Intel Airs) - which kept the MacBook Air's mission statement of pushing portability to its limits - and the 2-port 13" MacBook Pro - which continued the same under-the-hood technology but otherwise added the retina display and the "Pro" moniker that Air customers were maybe jealous of. All the while, they were operating under the notion that "Air" was going away. While all of that is pretty messy, I'd say that the Air had closer to a 6 year run on that design (2010-2015); I don't count the 2017 model as anything other than a low-end spec bump while they were figuring out what to do about the MacBook and 2-port 13" MacBook Pro (both of which were awkwardly neglected for a fair amount of the time between summer 2017 and summer 2019).
All that to say that I think the current Air design will stick around longer just because the current design is newer. I don't think that it will last 7 years. Though, 5 wouldn't be out of the question (and we're already 2 years and change of the way there).
I think they'll keep using the Air to redefine portability standards. I agree that they likely won't make the smaller Pro lighter than an Air. But, as it stands right now, the weight difference between the two is pretty minimal. For the Pro, I'm imagining rounded screens (I don't like it, but the writing seems to be very much on the wall), smaller bezels, maybe more ports, likely thinner now that they're not constrained by Intel CPU and AMD GPU thermal limits. I see much of that going to the Air in some form. Though, if Apple is able to do with their Macs what they do with their iPhones (use a more efficient SoC, shrink the battery, net battery gains), they'll be able to make them all the thinner. Though, at some point, they become too thin for even USB-C ports.
no.
none. zero. nada.
hey! but no worries. a refreshed design is coming... by 2037.
