Apple is expected to release the new MacBook Air at the 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) which kicks off tonight. But...
Although it may be released at WWDC 2022, its availability may be delayed because many factories are affected by the lockdown in China. According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, the availability of the MacBook Air will be limited when it is released, or even the sale could be delayed.
The zero-COVID policy implemented by the Chinese government has forced many factories that manufacture Apple products to close temporarily, including the Pegatron and Quanta factories.
So even though there are many areas in China that have started to ease restrictions, some areas around Shanghai -- which is where the factories are located -- are still under lockdown.
Meanwhile, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will ship six to seven million new MacBook Airs before Q3 2022 begins. However, the condition is that Quanta's production capacity has returned to normal as before the lockdown.
He said shipments of the new MacBook Air will be more than the shipments of MacBook Pro 14 and 16 inches. Because the new MacBook Air will be shipped by Quanta and Foxconn, while the MacBook Pro will only ship by Quanta.
MacBook Air with this new design may not be available in many color choices. But only standard colors such as space gray and silver, with two additional new colors, namely dark blue and gold.
According to Gurman, the MacBook Air will still use a 13-inch screen, two USB-C ports, MagSafe, and TouchID. He also said that Apple actually planned to release a new MacBook Pro with the MacBook Air, but the launch was postponed for the same reason, various lockdowns in China.
In addition to the new MacBook Air - which still uses the M1 chip -, Apple is also expected to showcase its mixed reality headset project. Likewise, topics such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will dominate the annual event.