MacBook Air and Possibly 13-Inch MacBook Pro Without Touch Bar Said to Receive Processor Refresh in the Fall

Apple plans to refresh its MacBook Air lineup with faster processors in September, according to IHS Markit analyst Jeff Lin's latest Emerging PC Market Tracker report, published Thursday and shared by Forbes:

Apple is also expected to update the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and Retina ‌MacBook Air‌ with the new MacOS Catalina and new processors in September, according to Lin.

Forbes also cites Lin as saying the 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ receiving a processor refresh in September as well, which likely refers to the base model without the Touch Bar, dubbed the "MacBook Escape" for its physical Esc key. The 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with Touch Bar just received a processor refresh in May.


The ‌MacBook Air‌ was last updated in October 2018, when it received a long-awaited Retina display, 8th-generation Intel Core processors, butterfly keyboard, larger trackpad, Touch ID, Thunderbolt 3 ports, new color options, and more.

Apple rarely refreshes any Macs in September, often waiting for October instead, but these would be fall updates either way. IHS has close ties to Apple's supply chain, having accurately revealed the original 10.5-inch iPad Pro's resolution nearly four months in advance and LTPO on the Apple Watch.

Lin also believes that Apple plans to release the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro in September. Again, this could end up being October too, but it sounds increasingly likely that the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ is coming this year.