Apple Reportedly Planning To Release Its M4 MacBook Air Lineup Before It Officially Announces The Low-Cost iPad And iPhone SE 4

The launch of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, along with the M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max could have hinted that Apple could take a small break before unveiling the MacBook Air family. However, according to a new update, the company is taking a completely different approach here. While some might have wanted to see the iPhone SE 4 earlier, it appears that we will bear witness to some additional portable Macs sporting a chipset upgrade.

No specific launch month was mentioned, but the M4 MacBook Air models will arrive ‘earlier’

After stating in the latest edition of his ‘Power On’ newsletter that both the 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air models are deep into the manufacturing phase, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has put out a post on X talking about which Apple product will launch first in 2025. Surprisingly, the low-cost iPhone SE 4 and iPad 11 will not be the first, but based on the details, these devices are slated to arrive in the spring of next year.

The lack of a concrete launch timeline is not necessarily a bad thing because it has been known for a while that Apple will not introduce a significant design change for the 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air. Apart from a specifications upgrade, we should not brace ourselves for anything else. We have mentioned the following information before, but we will reiterate that just like the new MacBook Pro models, Apple could bump up the unified RAM count to 16GB while also increasing the base storage to 512GB.

As I wrote in October, new entry level iPads (J481 and J482) are coming in the spring. iPhone SE, new iPad Air are on the same general timeline. The M4 MacBook Air will be earlier. https://t.co/0tUlePyFRZ

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) December 23, 2024

Given how limiting a configuration with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage can be, especially when you know there is no way to upgrade these parts, Apple has finally listened to the incessant pleas of customers. Another area that the California-based giant has addressed is the starting price, and even though the base 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro has been discounted down to just $1,399 on Amazon, with other variants also receiving price cuts, the $1,599 launch price was also low compared to the figures we have seen on previous-generation models.

The 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air are expected to retain their fan-less design, with both machines relying on a large heatsink to dissipate hot air. This approach might not be optimal when it comes to lowering temperatures effectively, but some customers will appreciate the reduced weight of both models, not to mention the silent operation.

News Source: Mark Gurman