The existence of the 13-inch and 15-inch versions of the M4 MacBook Air was found in macOS Sequoia 15.2, hinting that Apple could announce the updated versions of its portable Mac lineup much sooner than anticipated. Now, we learn through new information that both versions are deep in the manufacturing phase, so we can safely assume that their launch will happen in the first quarter of 2025. Given that the 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air models are not slated to arrive with a major design or change apart from a chipset upgrade, we do not expect Apple to delay these machines unnecessarily.

In the latest update surrounding the M4 MacBook Air series, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has written in his latest 'Power On' newsletter the release schedule concerning the new models. While he has not explicitly mentioned a launch date, his statement that these are already deep into the manufacturing phase suggests that we could see them in the first quarter. Furthermore, he mentions that later in the year, we should see the arrival of a Mac Studio that will most likely give buyers the option to configure the specifications with the M4 Max or the unreleased M4 Ultra, along with the release of the Mac Pro.

"Things will kick off pretty early next year with M4 versions of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air (these models are already deep into the manufacturing phase). As the year progresses, there will be a new Mac Studio with a high-end M4 chip. The M4 transition will get completed later in the year with a version of the Mac Pro. This will mark the first time since Apple began using in-house chips that its entire computer portfolio moved to a new M-series generation."

While we expect Apple to pursue the launch of the M4 MacBook Air series with some RAM and storage upgrades for the base model, these will likely ship without mini-LED technology and ProMotion support, which are both found in the M4 MacBook Pro lineup. At this time, the base model with 16GB unified RAM and a 512GB SSD is going for just $1,399.99 on Amazon, so if you cannot wait to pick up the latest portable Mac featuring the M4 next year, this is an excellent starting point that gives you a ton of savings in return.

Then again, the biggest advantage of owning a 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air is that these will be exceptionally portable, in-part because we believe Apple will continue to use a fan-less cooling solution instead of fans, making them noiseless and easier to carry around. As always, we will provide more updates on Apple's plans are we enter the new year, so stay tuned for more.