Apple just accidentally leaked the M4 MacBook Air

Apple's code is a bit like a pirate's treasure map: it can tell you where valuables can be found. And the latest version of macOS Sequoia reveals a forthcoming treasure in the M4 MacBook Air.

We've seen products leaked in Apple code before because it generally contains references to the hardware it's designed to work with. This time there are references to Mac16,12 and Mac16,13. Those are listed as "MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and "MacBook Air (15-inch, M4, 2025)" respectively.

As clues go, those are pretty big. Both Airs are currently running M3 processors and were already predicted to get an M4 update in early 2025, so their presence in the code appears to confirm that.

What to expect from the M4 MacBook Air

Discovered by MacRumors, the code doesn't give any details beyond the model identifiers. However, we can make some informed predictions based on the M4 upgrades Apple has already released, and the MacBook Pro M4 in particular.

As we said in our M4 MacBook Pro review, there are no physical changes to the external hardware: "At first glance you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from the 2023 M3 models," we wrote. The only visible changes are the addition of a new colour option, the Space Black that was previously only available in M3 Pro models.

The M4 MacBook Air isn't expected to get a redesign neither. The main reason for the upgrade, other than bringing the Air up to speed with the rest of the Mac lineup, is to power Apple Intelligence.

We don't yet know when the M4 Airs will launch but previous predictions have suggested an early or spring 2025 release date. The M3 MacBook Air was announced at the beginning of March 2024 and a similar date is likely for its upgraded successor in 2025.