According to DigiTimes (opens in new tab), the MacBook Air could be updated with Apple's next-generation M-series chips in "late 2023."

The new MacBook Pro (16-inch) 2023, MacBook Pro (14-inch) 2023, and Mac mini 2023 have just been unveiled, but those wondering when Apple's next low-cost laptop will arrive should mark their year-end calendars. DigiTimes adds that the next-generation MacBook Pro with the new chip is supposed to arrive in 2024.

DigiTimes claims that the new MacBook Air will use the Apple M3 processor. This is speculated to be Apple's next-generation laptop/tablet chip, replacing the Apple M2 series, which debuted in mid-2022. It appears to be manufactured on a 3-nanometer process, a significant improvement over the 5-nanometer process used in the M2 series, and would provide even more power and efficiency from a chip of the same size.

This feels like it may be too soon though, as Apple's M1 chip series lasted about a year and a half before M2 replacements began arriving, the same year that the M2 Pro and M2 Max appeared and for Apple's advanced desktops like the Mac Studio. It seems unrealistic for Apple to move to M3 before an update to the Ultra chip is envisioned.

Similarly, the current MacBook Air M2 has been on the market for less than a year and will only be about 18 months old at the end of this year. It is unusual for Apple to update the Mac so quickly, but the Intel MacBook Air 2020 has previously replaced the MacBook Air M1 after only eight months.

That said, there are rumors of a 15-inch MacBook Air, which is believed to use the M2 chip; the DigiTimes report does not mention the size of the new MacBook Air it says is coming, but as we see it, these leaks do not add up as they are.

We will keep looking for more MacBook Air leaks to see if any of these new claims are substantiated by other information. In the meantime, check out our MacBook Pro 2023 pre-order guide as soon as Apple's new powerful laptop goes on sale.