Malcolm Owen
An M4 update to the MacBook Air in 2025 has been rumored for some time, but information exclusive to AppleInsider suggests that the new model will have Center Stage support from an ultrawide camera.
Typically, rumors and leaks are spread online, sourced from third-party manufacturers, analyst predictions, and hearsay. However, in Wednesday's public releases of its operating system updates, the download for macOS 15.2 has some accidental additions concerning the MacBook Air.
Text strings, confirmed by AppleInsider, include references to the MacBook Air in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes. Both models are expected to be equipped with the M4 chip.
Beyond the leak in Wednesday's macOS release, there are also regulatory documents that we have discovered. In those regulatory documents found by AppleInsider, there's a reference to a "Front Ultra Wide Camera." This is likely to mean the 1080p FaceTime HD camera in the M3 version could get an upgrade.
An Ultra Wide camera could end up with the MacBook Air gaining Center Stage support, or features such as Desk View, just like the M4 MacBook Pro.
Center Stage allows your iPad or suitably equipped Mac to use its Ultra Wide camera and follow you when you move around to keep you in the central frame. The feature was first introduced in the iPad Pro in 2021, when the M1 chip was introduced to Apple's tablet line.
On the Mac, Center Stage used to be part of Control Center, but it now belongs in a new menubar icon that groups together options such as portrait mode, or reactions. This new menubar icon changes to show you when your camera is in use, or just your microphone, and it's this icon that can effectively be obstructed.
The feature can be used on MacBook Air models now, with a paired iPhone being used as the camera. It's limited to either a paired iPhone, or a suitable camera, which to date, is only on the MacBook Pro.
An addition of the wide-angle camera could also enable Desk View. Desk View uses the camera to capture then perspective-correct the area right in front of your computer to show on screen. This can be shared on a call or recorded. It too is a feature of Continuity Camera that leverages the wide-angle lens.
The feature migrating to the MacBook Air line makes sense. Apple often debuts new features on "Pro" level hardware, with them trickling down over time.
Current rumors claim the MacBook Air line is getting an upgrade in the spring of 2025, as Apple gradually shifts its entire Mac catalog to the chip.
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Marko Zivkovic
Oliver Haslam
Christine McKee
Amber Neely
Andrew Orr
11 Comments
There has never been any question about the possibility of a M4 MacBook Air. The only main questions are the exact configurations, pricing, and release date, none of which will be accurately revealed until Apple's official announcement.
It is unlikely that the M4 version will launch less than a year after the M3 model (March 4, 2024), so I expect the transition to be sometime between March and May. I doubt Apple will wait as long as WWDC 2025 (June) when the focus will shift to new operating systems and new silicon.
My guess is there will not be any special event for the M4 MacBook Air, probably just a press release and video like this fall's Mac releases. They might try to stagger a few other products like the Mac Studio, maybe the new iPhone SE (2025).
WiFi 7 support in M4 MacBook Air can easily make me upgrade from my current 15” M2 MBA. Apple needs to design/make its own in-house wifi7/BT6 combo chip.
To me, the question is about form factor. Is the iconic wedge design gone forever? I own two MacBook Airs and they’re precious to me. Simply the best laptops I’ve ever used. But, if the new ones have the same shape and weight as the MacBook pros, are they really “Air” models?