The new MacBook Air might come with a long wait time

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Even if Apple announces a new MacBook Air at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, you won't be able to buy it right away. According to a report from Mark Gurman, there may be a limited supply of new devices or a release date that is further off because of the COVID-19 shutdowns.

The temporary closing of factories that make Apple products is a result of China's zero- COVID policy. China has begun to relax some of the restrictions it put in place in March, but some neighborhoods are still under curfew.

Apple is expected to ship at least six to seven million new MacBook Airs before the third quarter of this year, according to an Apple analyst. There may be more shipments of the new MacBook Air when compared to the existing shipments of the 14 to 16-inch MacBook Pros, according to him. The new MacBook Pro orders are currently on hold.

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2H22 shipment forecast of new MBA is 6-7mn units if Quanta's Shanghai capacity can be back to pre-lockdown level before 3Q22. Delivery for new MBA made by two EMS (Quanta the 1st & Foxconn the 2nd) should be better than existing 14"/16" MacBook Pro (shipped by Quanta only).

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) June 5, 2022

The upcoming MacBook Air won't come in a wide array of colors. With the addition of two new colors, including a dark blue and a "champagne-like gold", it is more likely to feature a couple of standard options. Gurman thinks the MacBook Air will come with a 13-inch display and Touch ID. It is not expected to come with a Touch Bar, and may even have a notch like the MacBook Pro.

According to Gurman, Apple was planning on releasing a 13-inch version of the MacBook Pro around the time of the Air's launch. According to reports, this date has been pushed back because of China.

The introduction of a new MacBook Air, which will likely come with an M1 processor, is expected to be a huge part of Apple's event on Monday, but so is Apple's mixed reality headset project. As Apple looks to move beyond its existing devices and the software that accompanies them, it is expected to have an emphasis on augmented reality and virtual reality.

According to a report from The New York Times, Apple is going to show off new tools for developers that will allow them to incorporate mixed reality features into their apps before the headset is released. According to Gurman, Apple is working on adding augmented and virtual reality features to its own apps, including a way to view a Mac's display through the headset.