After 2020’s model gave the line a new lease of life thanks to the introduction of the impressive Apple M1 chip, we’re hoping that the MacBook Air 2021 will embrace a new design to freshen things up.
That’s certainly what we get in this eye-catching new concept video from Devam Jangra, which imagines what a new MacBook Air would look like if it took a leaf out of the iMac 2021's design book.
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First and foremost, that means Jangra rendering a whole rainbow of colors to choose from, which would certainly be a change of pace from the usual Space Grey, gold or silver the laptop has traditionally come in.
The colors on display here are a bit more vibrant than the darker shades on the new 24-inch iMac, feeling reminiscent of the playful hues available with 2013’s iPhone 5C.
But whatever the exact shades available, the idea of colorful Macs has been mooted before. Jon Prosser, a leaker with a pretty strong track record when it comes to Apple predictions, stated as much in a video back in May, adding that the colors will be “very close if not identical to the shades that you see on the stands for the new 24-inch iMacs.”
Another thing that’s been predicted for the MacBook Air 2021 is a return to MagSafe charging, first introduced in 2006 and last seen on the 2017 MacBook Air. This was a charger that would attach to the laptop magnetically with enough force to stay clipped on, but loose enough to come free if the cable was caught; no doubt saving a number of computers from painful collisions with the floor.
It was replaced with more traditional USB-C charging cables. But in this concept you can see the imagined return of MagSafe at the 18-second mark.
Despite the addition of a MagSafe charging plug, the concept does find room to maintain the two USB-C ports on the left-hand side. That’s managed, in part, thanks to a design that eschews the MacBook Air’s traditionally tapered design in favour of something more squared off: MacBook Pro in style, but with a touch of iPhone 12 thanks to the bright colors.
Finally, the concept sees Touch ID return to its familiar position in the top right-hand side of the keyboard.
No real surprise here given its been an ever-present feature on the MacBook Air since the 2018 model, and you can’t really see it going unless Apple introduces Face ID for its laptops.
Outside of this concept, from the rumors so far, we're expecting the MacBook Air 2021 to come with a boosted chipset, likely the Apple M2 chip (or M1X chip) and potentially a new display which could use mini-LEDs and sport narrower bezels.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a new MacBook Air is tipped to arrive in the second half of 2021, or early 2022.
If the final product looks anything like this concept, it’ll be worth the wait.
