Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities, “highly thinks” that the forthcoming MacBook Air revamp would have an M1 processor rather than the widely predicted “M2” improvement. Following a tweet in which he projected an “all-new” design for the laptop with additional color options and no Mini LED display, Kuo claimed 9to5Mac.
Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known Apple analyst, made some fascinating predictions about the new MacBook Air shortly after Apple’s announcement yesterday. The new laptop is expected to arrive before the end of the year.
New MacBook Air Has Not Been Announced Officially
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had previously claimed that the new MacBook Air will contain an M2 processor.
Of course, Apple can choose its nomenclature for its processors for marketing purposes, but if the M1 naming scheme is based on the A-series chips seen in iPhones and iPods, the next number up would indicate a CPU design update. The M1 chips, which include the M1 Pro, Max, and the recently announced Ultra, all feature different CPU core combinations based on the A14 architecture found in the iPhone 12. An M2 would most likely utilize cores from this year’s iPhones, like the A15 or the rumored A16. In terms of the upcoming MacBook Air, assuming it sticks with the M1 processor and branding, it might theoretically give a performance boost by adding additional cores.
The M1 already includes 7-core and 8-core GPU variations, and Gurman claims that Apple is testing an unidentified processor with 8 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores. That might be the M2 or an M1 that has been improved.
According to Kuo, mass manufacturing of the new MacBook Air would commence in late Q2 or Q3 of this year.