Apple's next MacBook Air will feature a completely new design and come in a range of colors like the 24-inch iMac, according to leaker Jon Prosser, who has now released supposedly accurate renders of the new machines based on leaked images.
In a new video uploaded to YouTube channel Front Page Tech, Prosser elaborated on his previous prediction that Apple's next-generation MacBook Air models will come in a range of colors and showed renders depicting the new machines. In his previous video, Prosser assumed that the next-generation MacBook Air would feature an M2 Apple silicon chip, and be a successor to the current M1 MacBook Air.
Prosser's renders are purportedly closely based on leaked images of a MacBook's aluminum enclosure. Prosser said that he came to the conclusion that the leaked images showed a MacBook Air due to its ultra-slim profile and dissimilarity to leaked schematics showing the next-generation MacBook Pro models.
Prosser said that the design of the MacBook Air is no longer tapered, but it is considerably thinner overall.
Like the Magic Keyboards for the new 24-inch iMac, the MacBook Air's keyboard will apparently be white and feature full-sized function keys. The larger function keys are said to have forced the entire keyboard down, thereby reducing the size of the trackpad.
There will be two USB-C ports, with one located on either side of the machine. Prosser said that a MagSafe port was not visible in the leaked images, so it was not added to the renders. A previous report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the next MacBook Air and MacBook Pro would feature the return of a MagSafe connector with faster charging speeds.
The underside of the MacBook Air will also see significant design changes, no longer having four rubber feet for support. Instead, there will be two long vertical strips.
The bottom of the MacBook Air render is said to be more accurate than the top half. The display and the size of its bezels are not known and purely speculative, but Prosser said that, just like the 24-inch iMac, the new MacBook Air will feature white bezels.
One of the most significant changes will be the range of colors offered on the MacBook Air for the first time. Prosser gained knowledge of a Blue and Green MacBook Air, but there will be color options to mirror the 24-inch iMac's color palette.
Specifically, the colors will apparently be "very close if not identical to the shades that you see on the stands for the new 24-inch iMacs." The iMac features more pastel colors on its stands, as opposed to the bolder, more striking colors on the iMac's rear.
Prosser accurately predicted that the iMac would come in a range of color options earlier this year. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Prosser wrongly assumed that the M1 iMac would mirror the iPad Air's color palette.
Prosser said that the redesigned MacBook Air will launch toward the end of 2021, if it launches this year at all. This is very similar to the timeframe outlined by Gurman, who said that Apple plans to release the new MacBook Air during the second half of this year at the earliest or in 2022.
