Apple makes headway on M4 MacBook Air, plans new low-end iPad

Apple Inc. is nearing production of updated MacBook Airs with M4 chips for release in early 2025, a follow-up to a wave of new Macs that are coming next week, according to people familiar with the matter.

The latest MacBook Air models will look similar to the current design, launched in 2022, but will include the new M4 chip generation, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the products haven't been announced. The company is set to soon begin manufacturing new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs codenamed J713 and J715, they said.

A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.

Apple is taking the rare step of upgrading its entire line of Mac computers to the same generation of chip - the M4 - which will speed up performance and better handle artificial intelligence tasks. The refresh will include new MacBook Pros, Mac minis and iMacs coming next week.

The M4 MacBook Air line is scheduled to be released after a December software update, so the new machines are likely to arrive between January and March, the people said. Apple last updated the MacBook Air in March of this year with the M3 chip, and it previously rolled out a 15-inch version with an M2 chip in June 2023.

While it makes headway on the MacBook Air, the company has pushed back the release of a new high-end Mac Studio, a desktop machine aimed at professionals that doesn't include a display.

That model - codenamed J575 - had been on a similar schedule as the MacBook Air, but now it's likely to come after a March software release, putting its debut between March and June. Apple also continues to work on an M4 version of the Mac Pro, its most expensive computer.

The M4 chips will bring major updates to the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, including the addition of ray tracing - a key technology for graphics in gaming. They also will enhance the Neural Engine, a chip component for processing AI tasks, which is key to the new Apple Intelligence platform.

During the same spring product release cycle, Apple is planning to launch a revamped iPhone SE, fresh iPad Air models and upgraded iPad keyboards. In that same window, Apple is also now aiming to release 11th-generation entry-level iPads codenamed J481 and J482, the people said.

AI will be a big part of Apple's product blitz. Earlier this month, the company rolled out an updated iPad mini that can support Apple Intelligence. Next week's Mac rollout should spotlight the AI capabilities of the M4 chip.

While the new iMac and MacBook Pro models will look like the current versions, the Mac mini will get its first external overhaul in more than a decade. It will now be smaller, making it more like the Apple TV set-top box.

As part of next week's Mac announcement, Apple will host hands-on demonstrations for select video creators, including in Los Angeles. It's not planning a full-scale event at its headquarters in Cupertino, like the one it held in September for the iPhone 16, new AirPods and Apple Watches.

Apple also is working on next year's iPhone models, including a thinner version to replace the iPhone 16 Plus. And it's planning a new home device with a small, square screen for release sometime in 2025 - part of a renewed bid to crack the smart home market.