The MacBook Air remains one of Apple's most popular and iconic products, even more so after it got the M1 chip as part of a refresh back at the tail-end of 2020. Since then, though, it's been radio silence about the laptop's future.

It's hardly a revolutionary idea to suggest that it'll be getting a new version at some point moderately soon, though, to keep it in line with the rest of Apple's machines. Now, seasoned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that the new version will be entering production in mid-2022.

Kuo says that he expects a next-generation MacBook Air to hit the production line in either Q2 or Q3 of 2022, and has previously set out an expectation that it could feature a Mini LED screen, which would be a first for Apple (unless something else in its lineup gets it earlier).

This sounds like more than just the addition of a potential M2-generation chip, so a redesign is also on the cards, but Kuo is of the opinion that this'll follow a template set out by the next round of MacBooks proper, so it might not be too radical by the time it gets unveiled.

Whether this proves to be accurate, of course, is a matter of time, as always with Apple. Since it doesn't tend to like announcing devices long before they're actually available, you can probably expect to hear very little about the next MacBook Air until sometime in 2022.