Apple will launch a MacBook Air with a new form factor later this year, claims renowned tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. It will also add extra colour options, he revealed in his latest round of predictions.

Possibly set for an announcement or tease during WWDC in June, the new MacBook Air could enter production as early as Q2 and be on sale by the third quarter of the year - July to September.

Contrary to some former rumours, it won't come with a Mini LED display, he suggests. It is also likely to feature a version of the M1 chipset rather than a currently unannounced M2.

Apple launched the M1 Ultra chip at its Peek Performance event on Tuesday, which will be available in the new Mac Studio desktop computer, and further talked up its M1 Max processor. However, they seem to be reserved for machines aimed at power users, so we may just see the same M1 processor adopted by the all-new iPad Air also launched during the event.

As for the new form factor, Kuo isn't specific. Although there have been other rumours the company is considering ditching the tapered design of the current model for a more MacBook Pro approach. We await further news with bated breath.