Apple’s current MacBook Air design.
Photographer: Stephanie Keith / Getty Images North America
Photographer: Stephanie Keith / Getty Images North America
Apple Inc. is working on a thinner and lighter version of the MacBook Air, the laptop for the mass market, according to a knowledge of the case.
The new computer is scheduled to be released during the second half of this year at the earliest or in 2022. This will include Apple’s MagSafe charging technology and a next generation version of the company’s own Mac processors. Apple has discussed making the laptop smaller by reducing the edge around the screen, which will remain 13 centimeters. The current model weighs 2.8 pounds and is just over half an inch at its thickest point.
The company has considered building a larger version of the MacBook Air with a 15-inch screen, but Apple is not continuing with this for the next generation, said the people, who asked not to be identified. not, discuss private matters. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
Removed with the 2018 design of the MacBook Air, MagSafe is a magnetic charging system. This means that the power cable is accidentally just removed from the laptop, rather than unplugging the entire computer. The new model has some USB 4 ports to connect external devices.
The new laptop is a higher-end version of the current MacBook Air, which is expected to remain an entry-level offering in the company. Apple last updated the product in November with its own M1 Mac chip, replacing an Intel Corp. processor.
The Mac is Apple’s oldest product line and has a loyal following. A few years ago the company was criticized for not updating these computers enough and not paying attention to customers’ demands. Now comes a flood of updates. In addition to the new MacBook Air, Apple is planning its biggest update of the MacBook Pro since 2016, the first redesigned the iMac in almost a decade, a new Intel-based Mac Pro and a half-size Mac Pro desktop with internal chips.
The upcoming MacBook Pro is an example of Apple’s renewed focus on Mac loyalists. The company plans to bring back an SD card slot for the next MacBook Pros, allowing users to insert memory cards from digital cameras. The feature was removed in 2016, to the dismay of professional photographers and video creators, key segments of the MacBook Pro user base. The heavily criticized Touch Bar, the current model’s touchscreen feature drive, is also underway.
Apple has also developed underlying Mac support for both cellular connectivity – the ability for Macs to connect to the Internet via smartphone networks – and Face ID, the company’s face recognition system. But none of the features are coming soon. For that purpose, Face ID originally planned to present this year’s iMac redesign, but it’s now probably not included in the first version of the new design.