Pavel Jelic At the beginning of this week, the third apple conference took place this year. At that, as expected, we saw the presentation of the 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro, alongside the third generation of the popular AirPods and the new colors of the HomePod mini. The aforementioned MacBook Pros received a complete redesign after a six-year long wait. In addition to the new design, it offers two new professional chips labeled M1 Pro and M1 Max, but we must not forget the return of proper connectivity in the form of MagSafe, HDMI and an SD card reader. As far as a complete redesign is concerned, it's currently the MacBook Air's turn. But we could expect that soon. Let's take a look at what it could offer together in this article.
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Vratislav Holub Cutout
One of the most talked about things about the new MacBook Pros is the cutout at the top of the display. Personally, I'll admit that during the performance, I didn't even think that anyone else could even pause over the cut-out. We saw a really big narrowing of the frames around the display, in the upper part by up to 60%, and it is clear that the front camera simply has to fit in somewhere. I thought people were used to the iPhone cutout, but unfortunately it turns out not to be. So many individuals take the cutout on MacBook Pros as an abomination, which I am very sorry for. But in this case I can predict the future because the past will repeat itself. For the first few weeks, people are going to bash the MacBook Pro's notch, just like they did with the iPhone X four years ago. Gradually, however, this hatred will fade away and become a design element that will be copied by almost all laptop manufacturers in the world. If it were possible, I would bet on this repeating the past.
This is what the new MacBook Pro (2021) looks like
Well, as for the cutout in the future MacBook Air, it will of course be present. For the time being, Face ID is not part of the cut-out, and it will not be in the new MacBook Air, in any case, it cannot be ruled out that Apple was preparing for the arrival of Face ID with this cut-out. Maybe we will see it in the next few years, but in any case, I think that Touch ID on MacBooks definitely suits everyone. So, the 1080p front camera, which is connected to the chip, is located in the cutout and will be located for the time being. It then takes care of automatic image enhancement in real time. There is still an LED next to the front camera, which indicates the activation of the front camera in green.
Tapered design
At the moment, you can tell the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro apart at first glance thanks to their different designs. While the MacBook Pro has the same body thickness over the entire surface, the MacBook Air's chassis tapers towards the user. This tapered design was first introduced in 2010 and has been used ever since. However, according to available information, Apple is working on a new design that will no longer taper, but will have the same thickness across the entire surface. This new design should be really very thin and simple, so everyone will love it. In general, Apple should try to reduce the dimensions of the MacBook Air as much as possible, which it could also achieve by reducing the frames around the display.
This is what the current MacBook Air M1 looks like
There have also been some speculations that Apple should allegedly be working on a larger MacBook Air, specifically with a 15″ diagonal. For the time being, however, this is most likely not a current topic, and the MacBook Air will therefore continue to be available only in a single variant with a 13″ diagonal. In the case of the new MacBook Pros, we saw the chassis between the keys repainted black - this step should also happen in the case of the new MacBook Airs. In the new MacBook Air, we will still see classic physical keys in the top row. The MacBook Air never had a Touch Bar, just to make sure anyway. And if there was a complete reduction of the device to the minimum allowed by a 13″ display, then the trackpad would most likely also have to be slightly reduced.
MagSafe
When Apple introduced the new MacBooks without the MagSafe connector and only with Thunderbolt 3 connectors, many individuals thought that Apple was joking. In addition to the MagSafe connector, Apple also gave up the HDMI connector and the SD card reader, which really hurt many users. However, several years have passed and users have gotten used to it - but I certainly do not mean that they would not welcome the return of better connectivity. In a way, Apple realized that it was not entirely wise to remove the used connectors, so fortunately, it returned proper connectivity with the new MacBook Pros. Specifically, we received three Thunderbolt 4 connectors, MagSafe for charging, HDMI 2.0, an SD card reader and a headphone jack.
The current MacBook Air only has two Thunderbolt 4 connectors available on the left side, with a headphone jack on the right. According to available information, connectivity should also return to the new MacBook Air. At the very least, we should expect the beloved MagSafe power connector, which can protect your device from falling to the ground while charging in case someone accidentally trips over the power cord. As for other connectors, i.e. especially HDMI and SD card readers, they probably won't find their place on the body of the new MacBook Air. The MacBook Air will be intended primarily for ordinary users and not professionals. And let's face it, does the average user need HDMI or an SD card reader? Rather not. In addition to this, it is necessary to take into account the extremely narrow body that Apple is allegedly working on. Because of it, the HDMI connector wouldn't even have to fit on the side.
Connectivity of the new MacBooks
The M2 chip
As I mentioned in the introduction, Apple introduced its first ever professional chips from the Apple Silicon family, namely the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Again, it is necessary to mention once again that these are professional chips - and the MacBook Air is not a professional device, so it will certainly not appear in its next generation. Instead, Apple will come anyway with a new chip, specifically with a new generation in the form of M2. This chip will again be a kind of "entry" chip to the new generation, and it is quite logical that we will see the introduction of the M2 Pro and M2 Max later, just like in the case of the M1. This means that the labeling of the new chips will be easy to understand, just like in the case of the A-series chips that are included in iPhones and some iPads. Of course, it does not end with the name change. Although the number of CPU cores should not change, which will continue to be eight (four powerful and four economical), the cores as such should be slightly faster. However, a more significant change should occur in the GPU cores, of which there will probably not be seven or eight like now, but nine or ten. It is quite possible that even the cheapest 2″ MacBook Pro, which Apple will probably keep in the menu for some time, will get the M13 chip.
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Flying around the world with Apple Display with mini-LED
As for the display, the MacBook Air should follow in the footsteps of the new MacBook Pro. This means that Apple should deploy a Liquid Retina XDR display, the backlight of which will be implemented using mini-LED technology. Thanks to the use of mini-LED technology, it is possible to increase the quality of apple computer displays. In addition to the quality, it is possible for the panels to be a little narrower, which plays into the aforementioned overall narrowing of the MacBook Air. Other benefits of mini-LED technology include, for example, a better representation of a wide color gamut, higher contrast and better presentation of black colors. According to available information, Apple should switch to mini-LED technology in the future for all its devices that have a display.
Coloring books
With the arrival of the new MacBook Air, we should expect an expanded range of color designs. Apple took this bold step after a long time this year with the introduction of the new 24″ iMac. Even this iMac is primarily intended for classic users and not for professionals, so it can be assumed that we could expect similar colors for the future MacBook Air as well. Some reports even state that select individuals have already been able to spot some colors of the new MacBook Air with their own eyes. If these reports are true, then Apple would go back to the roots, i.e. iBook G3, in terms of colors. We also got new colors for the HomePod mini, so Apple is definitely serious about colors and will continue this trend. At least this way apple computers will be revived and not only available in silver, space gray or gold. The problem with the arrival of new colors for the MacBook Air could arise only in the case of the cutout, as we would most likely see white frames around the display, just like with the 24″ iMac. The cut-out would thus be very visible and it would not be easy to hide it as in the case of black frames. So let's see what color the frames around the display Apple chooses for the new MacBook Air.
MacBook Air concept with M2 chip
When and where will we see you?
The latest MacBook Air with the M1 chip currently available was introduced almost a year ago, namely in November 2020, after the point of the 13″ MacBook Air with the M1 and the Mac mini with the M1. According to statistics from the MacRumors portal, Apple presents a new generation of MacBook Air after an average of 398 days. Currently, 335 days have passed since the presentation of the last generation, which means that theoretically, according to statistics, we should wait sometime at the turn of the year. But the truth is that this year's presentation of the new MacBook Air is rather unrealistic - most likely, the "window" for the presentation of the new generation will be extended. The most realistic presentation seems to be sometime in the first, at most, the second quarter of 2022. The price of the new MacBook Air should not change fundamentally compared to the MacBook Pro.
- Newly introduced Apple products can be purchased, for example, at Alge, Mobile Emergency or u iStores
Glowing logo still nothing? I'm sure I'm not the only one who misses it 😅
The best thing that Apple did was to cancel the lighting logo.
Why is that?
So what bothered you so much about it?
Exactly, when I saw the older design, I was really hoping that the glowing apple would return. I really miss that.
I also miss the glowing logo, that's why I still have the old Mac, I just like it ;)
When will they bring back the floppy drive?
Only a fool can compare a glowing logo with a floppy disk. 🤦🏻♂️
They could make a variant with a bigger display. Although it will somewhat cannibalize their sales of 16k, but who will buy a new 16k for email, Office and netflix at that price is a fool...
I would also welcome an Air with a larger display. But probably everything will remain the same.
Also about that cut, when I saw it for the first time, I thought they were really crazy, but basically after about two minutes I didn't even notice him in those shots. In addition, it will still be part of the top bar, and when you watch movies or series, it won't be visible because they are filmed in 16:9 or 21:9 format, so the cutout has nowhere to get in the way.
Additionally, I realized that most manufacturers have decided to leave out the cameras altogether as part of the narrowing of the bezels around the display, so I can definitely imagine that they will start doing that cutout as well. And in Windows, it will be an abomination, because the system simply does not take this into account, and in 11s it is not even possible to put the main bar up, as it was possible in 10s.
The fact that there will be no HDMI in the new Air does not matter, it was not the case in older versions either. But the comment that the average user doesn't need an SD card is pretty silly. The author could think first before writing something.