Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock is up today ahead of an anticipated new MacBook Air announcement. Investors and Apple fans suspect the tech giant will unveil its newest iteration of the popular laptop at this year’s WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC).
As per a recent Bloomberg report from Mark Gurman, Apple has several potential announcements readied for WWDC, scheduled for June 3 of this year.
According to Gurman, the Mac-side of Apple’s business remains the most likely candidate for a hardware unveiling at WWDC.
If there’s any hardware at WWDC, it will likely be on the Mac side. The company has been aiming to launch the next MacBook Air with M2 chips at the conference. The recent supply chain crunch due to Covid-related closures in China has complicated that, but developers say that Apple employees are increasingly using next-generation MacBook Airs with their apps. That’s a sign that the new Mac is close.
WWDC is typically when Apple leadership dives into its software plans for the next year. This time around, however, Apple fans have plenty of rumored announcements to look forward to across a number of the company’s dimensions. The new MacBook Air is likely at the top of the list, set to be the biggest redesign in the Air’s history.
Apple has apparently been aiming to launch the new MacBook Air for some time, but has had to deal with supply chain issues stemming from Covid-19 related closures in China. However, there remains both evidence and hope that June’s WWDC will feature the new Air, fitted with the next-generation M2 chip.
AAPL Stock Climbs Over Potential WWDC Announcements
The company is also rumored to announce new MacBook Pro models. As such, tech fans are hoping to see an entire class of new Apple laptops at WWDC. This includes:
- A middle-weight Air model, complete with eight CPU cores, and 10 GPU cores.
- A mini MacBook with the same specifications as the Air.
- A high end, 14 or 16-inch MacBook Pro with “M2 Max” chips, featuring 12 CPU cores, and 38 GPU cores.
Apple may also show off its latest and greatest upcoming operating system, iOS 16. This new version of iOS is expected to have a host of new and improved features. Some highlights include: better multitasking support and added iPad multitasking, updates to the Messages and Health apps and a new lock screen makeover.
There are also some signs the company may also unveil its long-awaited mixed-reality headset, though Gurman doubts a full-fledged “realityOS” unveiling.
In terms of new hardware… though Apple’s upcoming mixed-reality headset is full steam ahead — underscored by the recent demonstration of the device to the company’s board — I’d be wary of expecting a full-blown presentation for developers and consumers next week.
AAPL is up less than a percent so far today, on an otherwise lukewarm day for the markets.
On the date of publication, Shrey Dua did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
