A new MacBook Air 2022 is one of the most anticipated products Apple could release in 2022. We've been hearing rumors about a new MacBook Air for some time now, and with good reason: the launch of the inaugural M1-powered Air in late 2020 set a new standard for MacBook performance, and now that we've seen what the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips can do, it's hard not to dream about what a new MacBook Air with a more efficient M2 chip could be capable of. [1]

Figure 1. Apple MacBook Air 2022

Figure 1 shows Between a new Air, a new Pro, and the potential of a new piece of Apple silicon, MacBook fans have a lot to look forward to in 2022. We also expect to see Apple roll out a new Mac mini and a new iMac next year, each powered by the M2 chip or another iteration of Apple silicon.

A revamped follow-up to the M1-powered Mac mini Apple released in late 2020 would make sense if Apple does indeed debut the M2 chip next year, though it could conceivably delay the release of an M2-powered Mac mini into mid-2023. [1]

Display

Apple introduced a mini-LED display with the MacBook Pro, and the MacBook Air could adopt the same technology. We do not yet know if the display will feature a notch like the MacBook Pro, but it could happen if the bezels are thin enough. That said, a notch might be more noticeable in an off-white color, so Apple may decide not to include one.

Naming

Leaker Dylandkt has claimed that Apple may once again be planning to drop the "Air" moniker, reverting to the standalone "MacBook" name. It's not clear if this will happen, but it is a possibility as Apple did the same thing in the past with the launch of the now-discontinued 12-inch MacBook.

Keyboard

The MacBook Air's keyboard is expected to be similar to the MacBook Pro keyboard with full-size function keys. With the MacBook Pro, Apple made the entire keyboard black, including the space below the keys. Apple could perhaps do the same thing for the MacBook Air, only in white.

Camera

The next-generation MacBook Air is expected to have the same 1080p camera that's used in the MacBook Pro. It's an improvement over the current 720p camera and enhanced with the image signal processor in Apple's chips, but it isn't as good as the camera quality available from iPhones and iPads.

Ports

While the MacBook Air will feature multiple USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, it is not expected to adopt an SD card slot or an HDMI port, with those options remaining limited to the MacBook Pro to set the two machines apart.

M2 Apple Silicon Chip

Apple is rumored to be working on a new "M2" chip for the MacBook Air. The M2 won't be as powerful as the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips that are used in the MacBook Pro models, but it will be an upgraded version of the lower-power M1 chip.

References:

1. https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/macbooks-in-2022-what-to-expect-from-new-macbook-air-m2-macbook-pro-and-more
2. https://www.macrumors.com/guide/2022-macbook-air/

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), Apple MacBook Air 2022, pp. 54