Gerry Palmers Tech 05.29.2022 23:May PM EDT

MacBook Air Might Get an M2 Makeover for WWDC 2022

A new Macbook Air is set to launch soon with the next generation of Apple chips, the M2, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2022 in June.

Apple To Introduce Products 'on the Mac Side,' Says Bloomberg's Gurman

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, any hardware launches at WWDC will "likely be on the Mac side." Apple is also said to have been aiming to "launch the next MacBook Air with M2 chips at the conference."

The M2 is expected to offer the same 8-core CPU as the ‌M1‌, but there will be speed and efficiency enhancements as it is seen to be built on TSMC's 4-nanometer process.

As Apple prepared for the launch, supply chain issues caused by COVID-19 lockdowns in China apparently placed those launch plans in jeopardy. But Gurman claimed Apple employees were spotted using "next-generation MacBook Airs with their apps," seemingly to test the hardware pre-announcement.

There were also rumors that claimed the new MacBook Air would sport a new look, in line with the 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple To Offer New Design Elements in MacBook Air 2022: Will There Be a Notch?

According to MacRumors, Apple will do away with the wedge-shaped design of the ‌MacBook Air‌, and there will be no tapered look for the next-generation version. Currently, the ‌MacBook Air‌ models are thicker at the back and then exude a thinner design at the front, but Apple will opt for a more MacBook Pro-like design with a uniform shape.

Thinner, Lighter MacBook Air Than Current Version, Say Rumors

The upcoming ‌MacBook Air‌ is also rumored to be thinner and lighter than the current version, and adopt design elements from both the MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac. Rumors indicate that the MacBoor Air will feature slim off-white bezels and a matching off-white keyboard, with the chassis coming in multiple iMac-like colors.

MacBook Air To Offer Wide Gamut of Colors?

Apple rolled out the ‌iMac‌ in blue, green, pink, silver, yellow, orange, and purple, and we could see some of the same color options for the upcoming ‌MacBook Air‌.

This makes sense because the ‌MacBook Air‌ is a must-buy entry-level machine, much like the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ and the wide gamut of colors will set it apart from the higher-end silver and space gray MacBook Pro models.

LED or LCD? MacBook Air Display Revealed

As for the display, the MacBook Air may also have the mini-LED display that came with the MacBook Pro, Display analyst Ross Young says on MacRumors that the ‌MacBook Air‌ will continue to use an LCD display, and the mini-LED is positioned for upscale Pro models.

It is still not known if the display will feature a notch like the MacBook Pro, but this could be possible if the bezels are thin enough. That said, since a notch may be more noticeable in an off-white color, Apple might opt not to include one.