New MacBook Air might still be a year away from launch due to component shortage

The next upgrade to the MacBook Air might be a while away, as a noted analyst now predicts a further delay in its production timeline. If or when this delay reflects on the previously predicted launch timeline, the M2-powered MacBook Air might just be yet another product to have been hit by the chip shortage in the world.

The last iteration of Apple's much-celebrated series of laptops was released around this time last year and featured Apple's M1 chipset. It was earlier speculated that Apple will bring an upgrade to this with a new M2-chipset on the next version of MacBook Air, possibly marking its debut sometime in the middle of next year. A new prediction from the same source now supercedes this.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo now speculates that Apple will not launch the new MacBook Air until the third quarter of 2022. As noted by 9to5Mac, he further predicts that even the production of the device might not begin till the third quarter, or late second quarter at the earliest. This means we could still be a year away from the device's launch

The delay of over a couple of months might lead to a sales challenge for Apple, as overall shipments for even the current version of MacBook Air face dwindling demand and supply. Kuo blames the component shortages for the same and dropping market demand for portable personal computers as the world moves back to offices post the pandemic.

In terms of upgrades, the next generation of MacBook Air is expected to come with a redesign and a new set of components inside. These will include an M2 chipset by Apple that will empower more performance on the new MacBook Air than the prevalent iteration.

For now, Apple is focused on bringing the M1X chipset on the new generation of MacBook Pro. The lineup is expected to consist of a new 14-inch and a 16-inch MacBook Pro with design changes to the earlier models. Some highlights of the upgrades expected on the new variants include a mini LED display, a new M1X chipset and a 1080p webcam. The launch is expected to be held sometime in October.