The M4 MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini are all available, but the M4 MacBook Air is nowhere to be seen. Just how long will we have to wait to see the new MacBook Air and what specs and price can we expect?
We look at the rumors and keep track of what’s being reported, as well as offer a perspective based on Apple’s current lineup.
Update December 11, 2024: A report states that the M4 MacBook Air may get a Center Stage camera.
M4 MacBook Air: Release date
- January – March 2025 (Predicted)
In an April 2024 report, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that the Mac’s version of the M4 chip would be introduced in the MacBook Pro and iMacs later in 2024, and indeed it was. However, Gurman predicted that the M4 MacBook Air release won’t come until spring 2025, which would be about a year after the M3 MacBook Air was released.
In June 2024, Gurman reported again that the M4 MacBook Air is not expected until the spring of 2025. In August, he reiterated that the M4 MacBook Air will not be available until 2025.
In October 2024, Gurman reported that Apple is getting ready to start production on the M4 MacBook Air, with a possibility of a release between January and March of 2025.
M4 MacBook Air: Processor
Apple surprised us with the release of the M4 chip in the iPad Pro in early May, barely six months after the M3 debuted in the MacBook Pro. In October 2024, Apple released the M4 MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini. Here are the specs:
iPad Pro models with 256GB or 512GB of storage
- 9-core CPU (3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores)
- 10-core GPU
- Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
- 16-core Neural Engine
- 120GB/s memory bandwidth
- 8GB RAM
iPad Pro models with 1TB or 2TB storage; 14-inch MacBook Pro
- 10-core CPU (4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores)
- 10-core GPU
- Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
- 16-core Neural Engine
- 120GB/s memory bandwidth
- 16GB RAM
How will Apple allocate the M4 in the next MacBook Air? We could see the company use the 10-core CPU version of the chip. It doesn’t seem likely that the 9-core version will be in the Air.
Compared to the 8-core M3, the M4 has two extra efficiency cores and higher memory bandwidth (120 GB/s vs 100GB/s). Apple will likely use the same design for the Mac, making the M4 the first non-Pro or Max chip that has
Before the M4 arrived in the iPad, Gurman reported that the chip would focus on AI enhancements. Apple talked briefly during its Let Loose event about the improved Neural Engine and its ability to deliver over 38 trillion operations per second but didn’t get into much detail about real-world use.
M4 MacBook Air: Design and specs
The M4 upgrade would be the fourth generation of the M-series chip in the MacBook Air, but it’s not the fourth time around for the current Air design. Apple shipped the M1 MacBook Air in 2020 with an older design that was used with Intel chips and the current design wasn’t introduced until the M2 chip upgrade in July 2022. Apple isn’t expected to change it at all for the M4.
Apple made a slight change to the Air’s design with the M3 update in March 2024, but only for one specific color. The Midnight version now has an anodization seal to help cut down on fingerprints–it’s a similar process introduced with the Space Black MacBook Pro. Apple is not expected to offer the process for the Silver, Space Gray, and Starlight colors.
When Apple released the M4 MacBook Pro in October 2024, the company increased the base amount of RAM to 16GB. It also did the same with the M2 and M3 MacBook Air that is currently for sale. Apple will; no longer release a laptop that starts with 8GB of RAM.
Another feature that could get an upgrade is battery life. If the MacBook M4 follows the iPad Pro’s chip design, it could be more energy-friendly with two extra efficiency cores. That could mean more battery life.
The Midnight MacBook Air now has an anodization seal to cut down on fingerprints.
Macwelt
AppleInsider reported that it has seen a regulatory document for the M4 MacBook Air that refers to a “Front Ultra Wide Camera.” That could mean that the 1080p FaceTime camera will be replaced with a 12MP Center Stage camera, like the one in the M4 MacBook Pro.
Everything else about the MacBook Air will likely stay the same with an M4 upgrade. The display, size, weight, mics, speakers, ports, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth are expected to remain unchanged.
M4 MacBook Pro: Price
Here are the prices for the current standard configurations of the M3 MacBook Air for reference.
13-inch MacBook Air
- $1,099/£1,099: M3 with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU; 8GB unified memory; 256GB SSD
- $1,299/£1,299: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 8GB unified memory; 512GB SSD
- $1,499/£1,499: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 16GB unified memory; 512GB SSD
15-inch MacBook Pro
- $1,299/£1,299: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 8GB unified memory; 256GB SSD
- $1,499/£1,499: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 8GB unified memory; 512GB SSD
- $1,699/£1,699: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 16GB unified memory; 512GB SSD
Apple will likely offer similar configurations and we don’t expect the M4 MacBook Air prices to change.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor, Macworld
Roman is a Macworld Senior Editor with over 30 years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the Mac and other products in the Apple ecosystem. He is also the host of the Macworld Podcast. His career started at MacUser, where he received Apple certification as a repair technician (when Apple did that kind of thing). He's also worked for MacAddict, MacLife, and TechTV.