M4 MacBook Air May Arrive Earlier in 2025 Than Originally Expected
0 Facebook x.com Reddit BlueSky Rumor Score 馃く
Apple is likely set for a busy spring with new iPads, iPhone SE 4, and M4 MacBook Airs, but those new MacBooks could arrive sooner, according to a new rumor.
Mountains of rumors point to Apple announcing multiple products in early 2025. It seemed like they would all be released in close proximity, perhaps like the October launch week, but a new rumor suggests otherwise.
According to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will announce new iPads, iPhone SEs, and MacBook Airs with the M4 in early 2025. However, the MacBook Air refresh will launch before the other products.
Apple unveiled the M3 MacBook Air in 15-inch and 13-inch sizes on March 4, 2024. That was a short cycle for the 15-inch MacBook Air, which launched in June 2023, but a much longer cycle for the 13-inch MacBook Air, which hasn't launched since June 2022.
It's hard to draw a conclusion based on the release pattern alone, but based on the previous release date, the M4 MacBook Air could launch in early March 2025. The discovered code suggests that Apple is indeed testing the new MacBooks internally, and they may equip them with an ultra-wide, center-frame webcam.
That leaves new iPad models and the iPhone SE 4 for April. The base iPad 11 model may have two models, represented by the model numbers J481 and J482, but those aren鈥檛 the only new iPads rumored.
New iPad models are also coming in early 2025
Gurman continues to repeat that a new iPad Air is due out in the spring of 2025. It will have an M4 processor and little, if anything, new.
This previous rumor continues to be odd considering the iPad Air got an upgrade from the M2 and a new 12.9-inch model in May 2024. Putting the M4 in the iPad Air a year later while the iPad Pro will continue to use the same processor would be an interesting move.
Apple isn't averse to product cannibalization, so it's not entirely impossible. The iPad Air could be pitched as a powerful but cheaper option. But that move would somewhat mirror the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 and the MacBook Air with M4 existing side by side.
Perhaps Apple believes that a thinner design, ProMotion, Thunderbolt, and an OLED tandem are enough to entice consumers to buy. Although there is also the possibility of an M5 iPad Pro refresh in the fall of 2025, which would widen the gap between the products again.
Finally, the iPhone SE 4 has been a long-awaited product that will look like the iPhone 14 with a single rear camera. It may have an A17 Pro processor for access to Apple Intelligence.
A Wrinkle in Time
There is one small problem with our proposed March/April release schedule. Earlier on Monday, 9to5Mac shared a report from an anonymous user named X that said the iPad 11 is set to launch with iPadOS 18.3.
Subscribe to AppleInsider on YouTubeSubscribe to AppleInsider on YouTube
Apple has already started the beta testing period for iOS 18.3, and all signs point to iOS 18.4 coming in the spring, before WWDC. So either iOS 18.3 will be released very late, or all of these products will come much sooner.
Following this proposed timeline, and assuming Gurman is right, Apple could release the M4 MacBook Air in January or February. Then iPadOS 18.3 would come in February, followed by the new iPads.
The iPhone SE 4 is the tipping point. It could arrive alongside the iPad or later in the spring.
Whatever the timeline, early 2025 is going to be a busy time for Apple. All of these products could be unveiled, even if the purported Home Hub could arrive anytime in 2025.
Rumor Score
馃く
Likely
Follow AppleInsider on Google News
