While we were blown away by the internals of Apple's new M1 MacBook Air, the design was a little too familiar. By which we mean, it hadn't changed at all. While the iMac has been given a delightful new coat of paint, the MacBook range is looking a little long in the tooth. But that could be about to change.
We've heard tell for a while that Apple is working on a brand new MacBook Air design, and we've just been given our first glimpse of what it might look like, thanks to new renders courtesy of everyone's favourite Apple leaker, Jon Prosser. It seems our best laptops for graphic design roundup could be about to get more colourful.
Looks colourful (Image credit: Jon Prosser)
The most immediately noticeable thing about Prosser's renders is the various colours, clearly inspired by the 2021 iMac. Supposedly based on leaked images, the renders show 7 new MacBook colours, each with a white keyboard (a little like the iMac's white bezels).
Also striking is the profile of the laptop. Gone is the tapered design, in favour of a sleek, straight design. The whole device is said to be significantly thinner as a result. For creatives, this could be a game-changer – the MacBook Air's best quality is its portability, but it can't quite compare in that regard to the likes of the iPad. An Air that lives up to its name once again can only be good news for digital artists on the go.
The new Air is said to be razor-thin (Image credit: Jon Prosser)
Bloomberg has previously reported that the new MacBook Air will feature a thinner and lighter body, with vastly reduced bezels around the 13-inch display. As rumoured for the upcoming MacBook Pro, MagSafe charging is said to be returning to the new MacBook Air, and it will apparently feature two USB4 slots.
A recent render of the rumoured 2021 MacBook Air (Image credit: MacRumors)
A smaller design would also help differentiate the Air from the MacBook Pro. Both current 13-inch laptops feature the same width and depth (30.41 x 21.24 cm) and the Air is only 0.11kg lighter. Indeed, with both capable of incredible performance thanks to Apple's new M1 chip, choosing between the two is no mean feat. If the Air does indeed become thinner and lighter, at least there'll be an obvious choice for creatives looking for the most portable machine possible.
That said, if performance is what matters most to you, you don't have to wait for an incredible Mac experience – the M1 chip is pretty unbeatable. Check out today's best Prime Day MacBook deals below:
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Best MacBook deals: US
MacBook Pro (M1, 2020): $1,299 $1,099.99 at Amazon
Save $200: We saw this deal in April and but it remains one of the best prices for this 2020 MacBook Pro. Save on the 13.3-inch 256GB, 8GB RAM, MacBook Pro with Apple's M1 chip, 18 hours of battery and fast processing speeds. Also on sale at Best Buy.
Apple MacBook Air M1: $1,249 $1,149 at Amazon Save $100: Want a slim model with extra storage? You'll get that with the 2020 Apple MacBook Air with 512GB SSD, now with $100 off its regular price. It has an M1 chip, just like its bigger sibling the MacBook Pro.
Best MacBook deals: UK
Apple MacBook Pro M1 (2020): £1,299 £1,152 at Amazon
Save £147: Almost £150 off any Apple product is worth a look, but especially when it's on this powerful 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD MacBook Pro model. We don't expect this deal to hang around for long.
Cheapest price
Apple MacBook Air M1 (2020): £1,249 £1,029 at Amazon
Save £219: This model gets you 512GB SSD and there's a whopping £219 off. We haven't seen a deal as good as this, so act quickly if you want one, as we can't imagine these will last long.
Read more:
Amazon Prime Day Apple deals 2021: Save on iPads, MacBooks, AirPods and more!
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
