When will the M3 MacBook Air be released? Expected dates and specs explored

During an unexpected launch event on October 30, 2023, Apple revealed the latest M3 iMac and MacBook Pro laptops, yet the M3 MacBook Air was notably absent. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a potential update to the MacBook Air was anticipated to be released in the fall, as reported in July 2023. However, later, Gurman revised his projections, implying that we may have to wait until either the spring or summer of 2024 for a new MacBook Air.

This article gives you the inside scoop, the current speculation, and all you need to know about Apple's future MacBook Air.

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Expected release date of M3 MacBook Air

In June 2023, Apple introduced the 15-inch MacBook Air with M2, while the already existing 13-inch M2 MacBook Air had already been on the market for more than a year since its launch in July 2022. With only a few months of availability for the latest model, it's not shocking that it wasn't updated during Apple's October 30 event.

At some point in 2023, reports surfaced that Apple had another autumn release in the works, purportedly highlighting the debut of Macs equipped with M3 chips. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the 13-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and iMac were all slated to be the initial devices to receive the new chips.

Although Gurman relayed this intel in July 2023, the 15-inch MacBook Air had just been launched. Thus, it added more complexity to the prediction, as Apple did not expect to update it so soon.

In an October newsletter, Gurman recanted his previous speculation, stating that fans of the MacBook Air would have to wait even longer. According to Gurman, the M3 models in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes have only recently achieved engineering verification testing. According to him, spring or summer 2024 is the earliest possible release date for the new MacBook Air.

Based on thorough analysis, Apple is expected to release both M3 MacBook Air models at the WWDC event in June 2024.

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Expected specifications of M3 MacBook Air

Logs for core configurations on the M3 series were discovered by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in August 2023, revealing an impressive 8 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores.

Using a prominent 3nm process, the M3 chip appears nearly identical to the M2, but it supports greater transistor density than the M2's more advanced 5nm process. In turn, the M3-powered MacBook Air is expected to be swifter than the current version.

The M3 MacBook Air is anticipated to maintain the current MacBook Air's fanless design (no internal fans). Although this may lead to occasional CPU or GPU slowdowns, the M3's increased efficiency is expected to smooth operation for the most part.

For their recent iPhone 15 models and AirPods, Apple has incorporated USB-C connectivity. Another USB-C port will also likely be added to the new MacBook Air.