A well-known leaker who accurately revealed that Apple’s next iMac would come in various new colors said a few days ago that Apple is working on bringing more color options to the MacBook as well, with particular emphasis on the Air. Jon Prosser turned out to be right about the iMac when Apple introducing seven colors for the 2021 M1-powered all-in-one. The new desktop is already available for preorder and will ship to buyers in the coming weeks.
Now, after revealing that a source told him that they saw a blue MacBook prototype at Apple, Prosser hired a designer to create mockup images based on what he could glean from his anonymous inside sources. If accurate, this might be our first look at Apple’s colorful new MacBook Air with a big redesign and Apple’s next-gen M2 chipset.
Prosser explained on YouTube that it’s unclear whether the laptop his sources detailed is the M2 MacBook Air or Pro, but the Air makes the most sense given the laptop’s size and ports. It also seems unlikely that Apple would make bright new colorways for its Pro-grade laptops.
The YouTuber said that the sources saw blue and green versions of the laptop, but the renders below also contain color concepts similar to what’s available from the new iMac line.
The renders indicate the MacBook Air will lose its iconic wedged design in favor of a flatter body similar to the MacBook Pro. The laptop would likely still be incredibly thin, with a base that’s only slightly thicker than a USB-C port.
The images that Prosser saw did not show additional ports, so it’s unclear whether this Air design will allow other connectors or if the laptop is getting MagSafe charging. The MacBook Pro should have more connectors than the Air, which is why Prosser’s source assumed this is the next Air’s design.
Prosser said that there are function keys present on the keyboard. Also, the keyboard is white instead of black and the function keys have the same size as the rest of them. The function keys on previous models were about half the size of the letter keys.
The same reports that said the MagSafe connector is coming back to the MacBooks this year also claimed that standard function keys would replace the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro. If these renders are accurate, then the touchpad might be slightly smaller than before to accommodate that extra row of full-sized keys.
Matching the keyboard is the screen bezel, which will supposedly be white on these models. Apple used a white bezel on the iMac, so the color choice makes sense, especially when paired with the white keyboard.
It’s unclear how thin the bezel will be, and Prosser says his source did not get an actual look at the screen, so that part had to be improvised in the renders seen here.
The MacBook’s bottom will also see a significant design change. The rubber feet placed in the corners are gone, with two vertical rubber strips that will supposedly replace them. Finally, Prosser says that Apple won’t release the new MacBook Air model until sometime very late in 2021.
Prosser’s full video follows below.
