First Macs With Apple Silicon Could Be 13-Inch MacBook Air and 13-Inch MacBook Pro - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

First Macs With Apple Silicon Could Be 13-Inch MacBook Air and 13-Inch MacBook Pro

Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro could be some of the first Macs to get Apple Silicon chips with Apple perhaps announcing new versions of these machines at the Apple event set to take place in November.

applesiliconbenefits
Well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo back in July suggested that Apple would release new 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips before the end of the year, with those machines positioned to transition over to ‌Apple Silicon‌ first.

Today, shortly after Apple's event announcements went out, leaker L0vetodream shared a tweet that says "13 inch x 2," with no other contextual information, but it can be interpreted as meaning Apple plans to announce two 13-inch ‌Apple Silicon‌ Macs at the event. The tweet alone doesn't mean much, but paired with the earlier and more extensive information from Kuo, it gives us a bit of insight into what we might expect to see announced next Tuesday.


Back in July, Kuo clarified that Apple is working on updated 14.1- and 16.1-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models that have a redesigned form factor and a mini-LED display, but he said that he does not expect these machines to launch until the second or third quarter of 2021.

There were some earlier rumors of a 24-inch iMac and speculation that it could launch before the end of the year, but L0vetodream's tweet mentions no desktop model and rumors from the Chinese supply chain last week suggested that a new ‌iMac‌ won't launch until the first half of 2021.

Kuo initially thought the ‌iMac‌ and the redesigned ‌MacBook Pro‌ models would launch in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early 2021, but it looks like the more exciting launch with Macs that have significant design changes will come next year.

‌Apple Silicon‌ Macs will be equipped with Apple's A-series chips, with the first ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips built on the 5-nanometer process. ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips will bring notable speed and efficiency improvements, along with support for universal apps able to run across all of Apple's devices. Apple plans to transition its entire Mac lineup to ‌Apple Silicon‌, a process that the company expects will take about two years.

For more on what to expect from the ‌Apple Silicon‌ Macs, make sure to check out our guide.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Air (Neutral)
Related Forums: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air

Popular Stories

apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple

Apple to Overhaul Mac Lineup With 11 New Models

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:13 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to refresh every Mac it sells over the next two years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The plans come amid a Mac resurgence, with sales projected to climb for a third consecutive year, partly thanks to a growing following among users who lean on the machines for demanding, agent-based AI workloads. The wave of new Macs will begin this fall with a refreshed...
macbook air prime day 2

5 Reasons to Buy a MacBook Air Now Instead of Waiting

Tuesday July 28, 2026 7:53 am PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Air is several months away, but if you've been holding off on an upgrade, here's why now could actually be a good time to buy. The Current Air is the Best Value Mid-Tier Mac The M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,299 following Apple's recent $200 price hike, but Amazon is already knocking $100 off, bringing it down to $1,199. The base model's 16GB of RAM means it's no longer...
apple silicon feature joeblue

Apple Silicon Exec Explains Mac Mini AI Demand and On-Device Future

Monday July 6, 2026 5:10 am PDT by
Apple's Mac mini and Mac Studio have become the machines of choice for running AI agents, according to Doug Brooks, Apple's senior product manager of Apple silicon. Brooks made the claim while discussing Apple's chip strategy in a newly published interview with The Deep View conducted just prior to WWDC 2026 in June. Brooks says that the company has seen "incredible demand" for the two...

Top Rated Comments

tgwaste Avatar
75 months ago
The 12" macbook is the best laptop Apple ever made. I want to see that come back and be maintained and updated.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johannnn Avatar
75 months ago

Who else is excited to own a computer that needlessly switched to a processor type that no one else uses and that won't be compatible with any of the software you currently run?
So you’re still on a PPC Mac I assume? I hear they’re great!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bustycat Avatar
75 months ago
13 x 2 = 26

A 26-inch product!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pakaku Avatar
75 months ago

Who else is excited to own a computer that needlessly switched to a processor type that no one else uses and that won't be compatible with any of the software you currently run?
Apple did admit the transition process should take about two years, so I assume there will still be newer Intel macs. But they sent out transition kits back in late June/July, so not all software will be incompatible, and it will only get more and more accepted over those two years
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johannnn Avatar
75 months ago

I’m making a wild guess here but I think there is a possibility that people use mac with software that’s not made by apple or adobe.
Ever heard of Rosetta?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
75 months ago

Who else is excited to own a computer that needlessly switched to a processor type that no one else uses and that won't be compatible with any of the software you currently run?
Literally no-one, based on the narrow way you worded your question.

Some people may be excited about the announcement of updated computers which *may* provide a significant improvement in both processor speed and power efficiency, the latter of which may either lead to longer battery life or a smaller footprint.

As for software - it’s a fair bet that Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and GarageBand will all have been made ready for ARM. I’m sure the Adobe suite won’t be far behind either.

And for everybody else... well there’s still Windows PCs.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors