Apple’s next moves: MacBook Air refresh nears and iPhone 17 Pro details

The next major Apple product launch after the iPhone 16e is on the horizon.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing its sales and retail teams for a March release of the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models featuring the M4 chipset. Just last week, Gurman reported that the new M4 MacBook Air models would arrive by March “at the latest,” and it seems that is still on track to happen. Stock of the current MacBook Air is also dwindling at Apple Stores, another indication that a launch is imminent. Based on leaked benchmarks, the M4 MacBook Air’s GPU performance will be similar to the M4 iPad Pro.

It was initially believed that the M4 MacBook Air would be Apple’s first major product launch of the year. However, Apple announced the iPhone 16e last week, its successor to the third-generation iPhone SE. The iPhone 16e is available for pre-order now and will launch on February 28. Apple launched the M3 MacBook Air lineup in March 2024, so it seems it plans to repeat a March release for the M4 MacBook Air lineup.

iPhone 16e

Apple’s new iPhone 16e is aimed at users on a budget, sporting many popular iPhone features while being priced much lower than its flagship counterpart, the iPhone 16.

Brand

Apple

SoC

A18 (3nm)

Display

6.1-inch 2352 x 1170 pixel resolution Super Retina XDR, 1,200 nits, 60Hz

RAM

8GB

Storage

128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Ports

USB-C

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Apple focusing on video recording for the iPhone 17 Pro models

The Cupertino-based company also hopes to implement its ‘Apple C2’ modem in higher-end iPhones next year

The M4 MacBook Air isn’t the only Apple product in the spotlight right now. The rumor mill for the iPhone 17 Pro has been in full swing lately. One rumor in particular that has garnered a lot of attention is that the phone will have a large, Pixel-like rectangular camera bump. While it’s unknown if that will happen, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to focus on video recording improvements for the new iPhone 17 Pro models.

Apple reportedly wants to sway the vlogging community and other content creators to “move away from standalone cameras” and rely more on the iPhone. It’s unclear what improvements Apple is working on for the iPhone 17 Pro’s video capabilities. The iPhone 17 lineup is expected to debut in September, alongside the new iPhone 17 Air.

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Finally, one last tidbit from Gurman concerns Apple’s modem plans. With the iPhone 16e, Apple debuted the Apple C1, its first in-house-designed modem. Reportedly, Apple is working on implementing the Apple C2 modem in “higher-end iPhones” next year, with the Cupertino-based company’s ultimate goal being to outperform Qualcomm modems in the near future. Gurman also reports that Apple hopes to integrate its modem into its main chipset. However, this could take several years and may not happen until 2028 at the earliest.

It seems that Apple truly has its hands full at the moment. To recap, new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models featuring Apple’s M4 chipset are expected to arrive soon in March. Additionally, Apple is reportedly working on enhancing the video capabilities of the iPhone 17 Pro to attract vloggers and other content creators to abandon their standalone cameras. The company is also focusing on implementing its C2 modem in “higher-end iPhones” next year.

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