The next MacBook Air could be dynamite in a small package

Apple launched the 15-inch MacBook Air in June, bringing the M2 chip and plenty more to the table. But what if you want something more powerful yet a little smaller? Well, it sounds like the company will have an option for you later this year.

Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman noted in his Power On newsletter that Apple will have an October launch that could be focused on Macs. Gurman reckons that this launch could see the first Macs with M3 chips, adding that we could see a 13-inch MacBook Air, a new iMac, and a 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The journalist previously claimed that the M3 chip line will be built on a 3nm TSMC process, which should make for improved efficiency in theory. He also noted at the time that one version of the M3 tested in a MacBook Pro had 12 CPU cores (six big and six little), 18 graphics cores, and 36GB of RAM. We’re guessing that this is an M3 Pro chip and that the vanilla M3 in the new MacBook Air will see downgrades like fewer CPU and GPU cores.

Nevertheless, we thought the current model was a great purchase in our 13-inch MacBook Air M2 review. We appreciated the design, brisk performance, long battery life, and bright display. In saying so, we lamented the slow SSD on the base model, the limited number of ports, the 60Hz refresh rate, and the lack of multi-monitor support. So we hope Apple addresses at least some of these complaints with the M3 model.

This event will likely be preceded by the iPhone 15 series launch, which will presumably take place in September. We’re expecting the Dynamic Island cutout on all models, a USB-C port for the first time, and a periscope camera on the top-end model.