At WWDC 2022, Apple unveiled the new M2 chip and a new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro model powered by the new chip. While the company started accepting pre-orders for the M2 MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air hasn’t reached consumers’ hands yet. A recent report suggests you will have to wait for around two weeks more.
Based on information obtained from an anonymous retail source, MacRumors reports that the iPhone maker could start accepting pre-orders for the new M2 MacBook Air starting on July 8. The report adds that retail availability could commence a week later, on July 15.
Unlike the MacBook Pro, the new MacBook air has been overhauled visually and internally. The new design borrows cues from the sharp edges of the iPhone 13 series and the costlier 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The body is now thinner and conceals a new 13.6-inch display with a notch, which also seems to be a MacBook Pro-inspired addition.
Once the new M2 MacBook Air deliveries begin, customers will be able to enjoy the new chip’s capabilities in a thin, light, and silent (fanless) form factor. Apple claims the M2 chip is 20 percent faster than the M1. Support for RAM and storage has also been upped to 24 GB and 2TB respectively. Moreover, the company’s performance claims have been verified by recent performance tests comparing the M2 chip to other Apple chips. The MacBook Air’s performance could be hamstrung by its passively-cooled design, but overall, it should be a decent upgrade over the M1 chip.
The new MacBook Air will be available in Apple’s classic Space Gray and Silver finishes, alongside Midnight (a darker shade of blue) and Starlight (similar to champagne color). The notebook starts at $1,199 and goes up to $2,499 for the model with the most storage and memory. If you want to settle for a cheaper MacBook Air, the M1-powered version is still available in stores and on Apple’s online store with a starting price tag of $999.
[Via MacRumors]