Early Launch of M4 MacBook Air Expected This Week as Apple Clears M3 Inventory for New Model

The recent launch of the iPhone 16e marks just the beginning of Apple’s product unveiling for the year, as several significant announcements are anticipated soon. Among these, the eagerly awaited M4 MacBook Air series is expected to take center stage. Earlier reports indicated a projected release timeframe of March, but fresh insights suggest that Apple could announce the new models as early as next week.

Upcoming M4 MacBook Air Release Amid iPad Shortages

Despite the ongoing shortages of Apple’s current-generation iPad models, it appears that the M4 MacBook Air lineup is set to be prioritized for launch. Renowned tech journalist Mark Gurman from Bloomberg hints that a press release for the M4 series could be scheduled for Tuesday, a day traditionally favored by Apple for announcements. However, considering that the iPhone 16e’s debut occurred on a Wednesday, there’s a chance the new MacBook Airs could be unveiled on the same day.

The forthcoming M4 MacBook Air models are likely to maintain the same architectural design as the M3 iterations, allowing Apple to swiftly roll them out across various markets. The M4 chip, having first integrated within the iPad Pro lineup before transitioning to the MacBook Pro series, recently underwent performance evaluation on Geekbench 6. Notably, the Metal benchmark revealed that the 10-core GPU in the M4 MacBook Air underperformed by approximately 5% in comparison to its counterpart in the MacBook Pro.

This performance discrepancy might be attributed to Apple’s choice of implementing a ‘fan-less’ design for the M4 MacBook Air series. Observers are keen to see how TSMC’s second-generation manufacturing process will enhance efficiency in these new models. With higher pricing anticipated for the M4 series, there’s still an opportunity to snag excellent deals on the M3 MacBook Air lineup. Currently, the 13-inch and 15-inch models equipped with 16GB of unified RAM start at just $899 and $1, 099, respectively on Amazon.

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