As Apple’s WWDC approaches this summer, the general buzz is that the keynote is focusing on the introduction of the AR/VR headset. But according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the keynote won’t just be about the helmet. We could also see new MacBooks. It’s MacBooks as in the plural.
One key point about these new laptops, though: Gurman doesn’t think any of these new MacBooks will have Apple’s highly anticipated M3 chip, a point that was corroborated later in the week by Ming- Chi Kuo. This is important for two reasons. For one thing, the M3 will be the first Mac chip made with the 3nm process, which will bring speed and efficiency gains that are likely to be greater than the M2. On the other hand, there aren’t really any MacBooks that aren’t already running M2 chips.
But Gurman reports that “at least some” of the new M2 laptops Apple is working on will be announced at WWDC. So wh at could these MacBooks be? Until we get a clearer picture, we can make some guesses.
15-inch MacBook Air
This laptop has been in the rumor mill for quite some time, and Gurman recently reported that Apple was taking the action that apparently led to a WWDC reveal. Apple’s current 13-inch MacBook Air is the company’s most popular Mac, and with reports that sales are down, a 15-inch MacBook Air might be what the company needs to kick things off. boost to sales.
The 13-inch MacBook Air is popular because it’s an ideal combination of price, portability, and performance. But for many people (like me), a 13-inch laptop is too small. A 15-inch MacBook Air could be the perfect laptop, even without the high-end features and processor of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro
Gurman mentions that Apple has a 13-inch MacBook Pro in the works. However, since the current model was updated last year with an M2 chip, and since Gurman says the M3 isn’t ready, that could mean one of three things.
The first possibility is that Apple will upgrade it with an M2 Pro chip to add a bit more separation between it and the 15-inch MacBook Air. That would obviously make it a faster machine but does nothing to solve its design issues: it’s the only Pro laptop with large bezels and the Touch Bar. But at least an M2 Pro chip would make it a better fit with the rest of the MacBook Pro line.
The second possibility is that Apple is keeping the M2 chip but redesigning the laptop to fit the rest of the Pro line. That seems less likely, however, as it would essentially be a twin to the MacBook Air, though it retains the Touch Bar.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro design has been around since 2016.
Foundry
The third possibility, and most likely, is that Apple is making small but significant updates. It could bring Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E and upgrade the SSD from using 256GB NAND flash chips to 128GB chips. Apple uses a single 256GB NAND flash storage chip in its MacBook Airs M2 and the cheapest 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 (and the Mac mini M2), and it’s 50% slower than a pair of 128GB chips (which was used in the M1). No one knows for sure why Apple made this change, but pricing and supply issues are likely to blame. It would be a complicated change to make from a production perspective, but Apple could do it.
If chips and NAND are the only updates, don’t expect Apple to say much (if anything) about it during the keynote. However, the new model might appear in the Apple Store with a “New” tag to signify the changes.
13-inch MacBook Air with updated specs
The current 13-inch MacBook Air was released last June with the M2 chip, so it’s unlikely to get a significant update before the M3 arrives. And while we love this laptop, there are a few things Apple could change to make it even better, especially if the 15-inch model has them.
The first feature that needs to change is the FaceTime camera. Apple uses a 1080p camera which is so poor that we recommend people use the Continuity Camera instead. It could use an upgrade. And like the MacBook Pro, it could also use a faster 256GB SSD, Wi-FI 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
The M2 MacBook Air was released in June 2022 and could be updated at WWDC.
Foundry
There is also an outside chance that Apple will update the M1 MacBook Air with a less powerful M2 chip than the current M2. Gurman’s report was very specific in its wording that the new MacBooks will “run something in line with current M2 processors”, so it’s possible that Apple has something up its sleeve to refresh the MacBook M1 which now has more two years.
