First Macs With Apple Silicon Could Be 13-Inch MacBook Air and 13-Inch MacBook Pro

Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro could be some of the first Macs to get Apple Silicon chips with Apple perhaps announcing new versions of these machines at the Apple event set to take place in November.

applesiliconbenefits
Well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo back in July suggested that Apple would release new 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips before the end of the year, with those machines positioned to transition over to ‌Apple Silicon‌ first.

Today, shortly after Apple's event announcements went out, leaker L0vetodream shared a tweet that says "13 inch x 2," with no other contextual information, but it can be interpreted as meaning Apple plans to announce two 13-inch ‌Apple Silicon‌ Macs at the event. The tweet alone doesn't mean much, but paired with the earlier and more extensive information from Kuo, it gives us a bit of insight into what we might expect to see announced next Tuesday.


Back in July, Kuo clarified that Apple is working on updated 14.1- and 16.1-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models that have a redesigned form factor and a mini-LED display, but he said that he does not expect these machines to launch until the second or third quarter of 2021.

There were some earlier rumors of a 24-inch iMac and speculation that it could launch before the end of the year, but L0vetodream's tweet mentions no desktop model and rumors from the Chinese supply chain last week suggested that a new ‌iMac‌ won't launch until the first half of 2021.

Kuo initially thought the ‌iMac‌ and the redesigned ‌MacBook Pro‌ models would launch in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early 2021, but it looks like the more exciting launch with Macs that have significant design changes will come next year.

‌Apple Silicon‌ Macs will be equipped with Apple's A-series chips, with the first ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips built on the 5-nanometer process. ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips will bring notable speed and efficiency improvements, along with support for universal apps able to run across all of Apple's devices. Apple plans to transition its entire Mac lineup to ‌Apple Silicon‌, a process that the company expects will take about two years.

For more on what to expect from the ‌Apple Silicon‌ Macs, make sure to check out our guide.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forums: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...

Top Rated Comments

tgwaste Avatar
59 months ago
The 12" macbook is the best laptop Apple ever made. I want to see that come back and be maintained and updated.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johannnn Avatar
59 months ago

Who else is excited to own a computer that needlessly switched to a processor type that no one else uses and that won't be compatible with any of the software you currently run?
So you’re still on a PPC Mac I assume? I hear they’re great!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bustycat Avatar
59 months ago
13 x 2 = 26

A 26-inch product!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johannnn Avatar
59 months ago

I’m making a wild guess here but I think there is a possibility that people use mac with software that’s not made by apple or adobe.
Ever heard of Rosetta?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pakaku Avatar
59 months ago

Who else is excited to own a computer that needlessly switched to a processor type that no one else uses and that won't be compatible with any of the software you currently run?
Apple did admit the transition process should take about two years, so I assume there will still be newer Intel macs. But they sent out transition kits back in late June/July, so not all software will be incompatible, and it will only get more and more accepted over those two years
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Saturnine Avatar
59 months ago

Who else is excited to own a computer that needlessly switched to a processor type that no one else uses and that won't be compatible with any of the software you currently run?
Literally no-one, based on the narrow way you worded your question.

Some people may be excited about the announcement of updated computers which *may* provide a significant improvement in both processor speed and power efficiency, the latter of which may either lead to longer battery life or a smaller footprint.

As for software - it’s a fair bet that Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and GarageBand will all have been made ready for ARM. I’m sure the Adobe suite won’t be far behind either.

And for everybody else... well there’s still Windows PCs.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)