Apple’s MacBook Air 2022 might have been revealed in a leaked render

The MacBook Air (2022) laptop comes in a colorful array. Shown here against a splashing, pastel backdrop
(Image credit: Jon Prosser / Future)

There have been plenty of rumors afoot concerning an upcoming MacBook Air 2022, and even more surfaced today — including a render of the laptop that may reveal its new design.

It seems that the MacBook Air 2022 will completely overhaul the classic MacBook Air look, using a wedge-shape instead of the tapered look of past Air laptops. The leaks also hint at a release in the second half of 2022.

It is also suggested that the weight will be a mere 2.9 pounds, as well as featuring a 13.6-inch mini-LED retina display, a redesigned keyboard similar to the MacBook Pro, USB Type-C and Thunderbolt ports, tons of colors to choose from, up to 2TB with maxed-out memory of 16GB, and 20 hours of battery life. No HDMI or SD card slots have been mentioned as yet.

The Apple M2 chip will also be included in the laptop, which could have eight cores in the chip. Though it’s not as powerful as the M1 Pro and the M1 Max, it’ll be built for GPU and CPU efficiency instead.

However, none of these rumors have been officially confirmed by Apple so take it all with a large pinch of salt.

Analysis: What we know so far

Despite not being officially announced yet, there’s plenty of leaks and rumors that paint a clearer picture of the MacBook Air 2022. And giving more credence to said leaks is information from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman himself.

The laptop missed out on a reveal during the Apple "Peek Performance" event on March 8, there’s still a chance it could make an appearance at the WWDC event happening early in June 2022, though an unlikely one. According to Gurman, Apple originally planned on launching the new Air model at the end of last year or early in 2022, but hadn’t been able to stick by that timeframe.

And though the rumor mill is confident in a MacBook Air 2022 this year, that same mill seems to believe that Apple will be skipping out on MacBook Pro 14-inch or 16-inch models this year. Although it’s possible we’ll see a refreshed 13-inch model this year instead.

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Allisa James
Computing Staff Writer

Named by the CTA as a CES 2023 Media Trailblazer, Allisa is a Computing Staff Writer who covers breaking news and rumors in the computing industry, as well as reviews, hands-on previews, featured articles, and the latest deals and trends. In her spare time you can find her chatting it up on her two podcasts, Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, as well as playing any JRPGs she can get her hands on.