Apple confirmed last month during WWDC that Macs are switching from Intel to ARM before the end of 2020, with the first Apple Silicon laptop expected to be a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro. Now we’re hearing predictions of what comes next.
As 9To5Mac reports, the latest predictions come from well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who rightly predicted the switch to ARM before Apple made it official. Now he’s focusing on what Apple is expected to launch following that first ARM MacBook Pro, and it’s potentially good news for those on a budget.
Kuo believes Apple is planning to launch a cheaper MacBook Air potentially early next year, although it could slip to March. For reference, the existing MacBook Air, which uses a 1.1GHz dual-core Core i3 or quad-core Core i5 processors costs $999 for the Core i3 model or $1,299 for the Core i5. If Kuo is right, we could therefore see an ARM Air priced at $899, or perhaps even cheaper.
After that, Kuo believes Apple will shift from offering a 13..3-inch MacBook Pro to a 14-inch model and at the same time refresh the 16-inch model to embrace Apple Silicon. Both new MBPs are expected later on in 2021, suggesting it won’t be before the summer and therefore at least 18 months since the 16-inch MBP received a hardware update.
Whatever Apple decides to release and when, all eyes will be on that first Apple Silicon laptop and what software it is capable of running and how well it runs. Any shortfall in performance or lack of support will place doubt in the minds of anyone considering a Mac purchase, and that could impact sales for any models launched throughout 2021 and beyond.
