Apple’s first Macs based on its own ARM-based silicon will include a new MacBook Air, as well as MacBook Pros with 13.3-, 14-, and 16-inch screen sizes, according to a new report from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple officially confirmed the long-standing rumors of a switch to its own processors at WWDC last month, which will see it move away from the Intel chips it’s been using for over a decade.
Kuo says that he expects a new ARM-based 13.3-inch MacBook Pro to enter mass production in the fourth quarter of this year, but he now also says that it could be joined by an ARM-based MacBook Air. Kuo says the new Air could start shipping at the end of this year or the first quarter of next year.
In the second or third quarter of next year Kuo says we’ll see new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros running on Apple Silicon. Kuo has previously predicted that MacBooks with these screen sizes will be equipped with new Mini-LED displays, offering far better contrast than the MacBook lineup’s existing LCD displays. The 14-inch machine is expected to have a similar size overall to Apple’s existing 13-inch MacBook Pro, but with smaller bezels to allow for its bigger screen.
Officially, all Apple has confirmed so far is that it will release its first Mac powered by its own chips later this year, but it’s yet to reveal exactly which model this will be. Developer kits produced by the company have seen the new silicon installed into Mac mini enclosures, but this hardware is meant primarily to allow developers to get their apps up and running on the company’s new ARM-based Macs. Apple says it expects the transition to its own chips to take a total of two years.
