Apple Analyst Says New MacBook Pros, ‘More Affordable’ MacBook Air Is Coming

Apple senior analyst Ming-Chi Kuo TF International Securities said in a note Wednesday that Apple is building two redesigned MacBook Pros that are expected to launch in 2021 and a new “more affordable” MacBook Air is expected to launch in 2022.

Apple’s MacBooks are overdue for a redesign. It released a new 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air in November with the Apple M1 chip, which proved Apple capable of beating Intel in terms of battery life and performance. But laptops don’t offer much new when it comes to hardware design. Although Kuo didn’t say a touchscreen, M1 laptops now support iPad and iPhone apps, opening up the possibility for Apple to someday add a touchscreen to its computers.

Macs have sold well during the pandemic, with revenue up 28% year-over-year in the fourth quarter, but Apple could use the redesign to really push its M1 chips to more users. Some people might not see much of a reason to upgrade to the early M1 laptops just yet, as they look the same as Intel models, but a big design change could help Apple keep driving new purchases.

Kuo said the new laptops will be among the first to use new mini LED displays. They are said to be better than the traditional LCD or OLED displays in today’s gadgets with improved contrast, which would improve the quality of the picture and video. This could make it more appealing to photographers and videographers who use MacBooks to edit photos and videos. Kuo said last year that the first mini LED product will be an iPad Pro in the third quarter of 2020. But that product does not include a mini LED display.