The WWDC2022 event of Apple is expected to provide significant news on the software front, especially in regards to iOS 16, macOS 13, and watchOS 9. Unfortunately, we are just hearing a rumor that hardware is crashing the party.
There’s been a leak on LeaksApplePro, which has a mixed track record, that says they’ll be hearing about the M2 MacBook Air and the M2 Mac mini at WWDC. We’ve been reporting about the new M2 chip and what it could bring to Macs, and the basic idea seems to be that it will have eight CPU cores as the M1, but two to three additional graphics cores for a total of ten cores.
Bloomberg report
According to the report, as many as nine Macs have been tested with the M2 chip in four different configurations of the new Apple silicon. There are also two Macs in this group, namely the new MacBook Air 2022 and the Mac mini 2022. It has already been reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that a new MacBook Air and another Mac might be announced at WWDC, so this could be a possibility.
MacBook Air 2022 at WWDC2022
It has been more than two years since the MacBook Air M1 was first released, so the MacBook Air 2022 is naturally the most anticipated new MacBook. The performance of the product was indeed great, but it is also true that the design is showing its age.
I am happy to report that the new MacBook Air M2 is supposed to get a lot more than just an increase in power. In the latest version of the iPhone, Apple is expected to present a sleeker new design as well as more color options than before in a package that weighs 2.9 pounds.
That’s one of the rumors we heard this week via Wccftech states that Apple has announced that the MacBook Air 2022 will feature a mini-LED 13.6-inch display, but we have heard conflicting rumors regarding whether this panel will be available on the Air. At the moment, the panel is exclusive to the MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch models.
Other specifications that might be included in the device include up to 16GB of memory, up to 2TB of storage, as well as up to 20 hours of battery life. The new MacBook Air is not expected to have HDMI and SD card slots as of now, but this is expected to change in the future.
Mac mini 2022 at WWDC2022
In recent months, a few leaks about the Mac mini 2022 have been discovered, including one which appeared in the firmware for the Apple Studio Display. The Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that the new Mac mini will not be available until 2023 according to his report.
In the past, the leaker Jon Prosser claimed the new Mac mini would be smaller and offer more ports in addition to being smaller. A magnetic charging connector could be available in the new Mac mini 2022 in addition to four Thunderbolt ports, two USB-A ports, Ethernet and HDMI. On the other hand, Kuo suspects that the new Mac mini will not receive any design updates.
Macs at WWDC 2022: What to Expect
Assuming only one Mac would launch at WWDC, I would wager that it would be the MacBook Air, as it would provide Apple with an affordable MacBook in time for the critical back-to-school shopping season. On the other hand, we have also heard that MacBook Pro sales are so strong that it could delay the new Air release date.
Whatever the case may be, a new MacBook Air design is on the way so Apple can better compete with the very best laptops on the market.