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15.5-Inch MacBook Air Expected to Launch in Spring 2023

The idea is good in theory and on paper, but in the real world a 16GB/512GB 15" MBA (with only 4 performance cores, no active cooling, no pro speakers, no pro display) will likely cost the same as a 14" Pro.

If Apple is smart (and of course it is!), the 15" MBA will be released a few months earlier than the M2 14" Pro. So lots of folks will buy the 15" MBA, only to realize a few months later that they should have waited for the M2 14" Pro (or just buy a M1 14" Pro for $1599 on sale).
 
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The 15" MB Air could bring in new users esp. PC users.
I'd try the 15" as it appears to be just right in size and in weight. Just have to learn how to use a Mac.

Never understood the desire for smaller 11" or 13" laptops as it's cramp and relatively tiny.
The 14" is popular with travelers esp. business people while the 15" is more popular with a slightly bigger screen. Hardly any PC maker makes a larger laptop anymore. Lenovo replaced the 17" with a 16" model and HP still makes a 17" but copied Apple so upgrades are limited now.

The bad things are the higher prices for Mac versions since you have to configure it with more pricey options like 16Gb ram & 512Gb storage min. PC laptops still cost much less but still as powerful.
The MB Air may still be more expensive for basic stuff like online browsing and such and not for business work since many business software makers don't make a Mac version of their software.
 
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icanhazmac said:
15.5"?

Why not just have, and use, the 14" and 16" with either Pro or Air guts? Seems that would save a lot of development dollars.
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it wouldn’t save much . In fact i believe it wouldn’t save any money

The pros have a thicker body, a different and biggger SOC, a fan , different heat sink. The displays are also different , and so are the bezels ( thinner for the pros)
 
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gpat said:
The two MBP sizes are actually only $200 apart if you consider the exact same specs, I'd expect the same, or probably less since there is no miniLED here.
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Factually true, sure. But can one only pay $200 for a larger screen of the 16” with baseline specs of the 13”? No, they can’t.

Therefore it’s $500 price bump for larger screen, practically.
 
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JM said:
Will it be $500 more dollars, just like the two MacBook Pro sizes? Probably 😒
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$500? Getting a 16" version of the same 14" MBP only costs $200. Whether it costs more than that to upgrade from a lower spec 14" MBP or 13" MBP is irrelevant to the actual cost of the larger screen, larger battery, and better speakers.
 
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This is a sign the MacBook Pro’s likely are not selling well. Hence all those Amazon, BH Photo and Best Buy discounts.

Many just want a larger screen without all the bells and whistles. This should be a good middle ground. Contrary to what many may say, I think the iPhone 14 Plus is actually a sleeper hit and I suspect that will be the case for this MacBook Air if Apple keeps the price reasonable.
 
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I have noticed that some people want a larger screen without having to go to a pro machine. A $500 16" Dell, for instance, has a pretty nice screen. Trust me, I'd never buy that Dell machine, but many would, and for that reason alone. A non-Pro, larger MacBook (Air?) would definitely grab some of those people.
 
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JM said:
Can you skip the automatic upgrades with the 16”? No you can’t.

Therefore $500 more.
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It’s just a little disingenuous to only claim that the 16” is $500 more than the 14” without the full context. The starting price is $500 more, but you also get a more spec’d out machine. With equivalent specs it’s a $200 jump for the larger screen.
 
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I really wish Apple would merge the iPad Pro and MBA into one product, essentially the iPad Pro with a macOS install. Slap a keyboard cover on there and you have a winner.

Too many crossover products in their line-up in my opinion.
 
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I just don't understand the appeal of this device. Financially you will be getting fleeced compared to what you can get with the 14" MBP. Feels like the iPhone 14 Plus model to me. A device that not a lot of people beyond actual Mac heads on forums really care about.
 
Coreymac84 said:
I just don't understand the appeal of this device. Financially you will be getting fleeced compared to what you can get with the 14" MBP. Feels like the iPhone 14 Plus model to me. A device that not a lot of people beyond actual Mac heads on forums really care about.
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Much more battery , thinner , less expensive if you buy the base model
 
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James Godfrey said:
100% it’s the same with the headset, rumoured in 2018 for 2019 release, then rumoured for late 2019 then early 2020, then late 2021, then it was January 2022, now it’s looking like mid 2022, at some point we have to accept it’s not coming, similar to the TV set apple were supposedly developing 6 years ago…
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6?! I recall hearing rumors of an Apple tv set back in the early 2000s!
 
Love-hate 🍏 relationship said:
Much more battery , thinner , less expensive if you buy the base model
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Battery sure that could improve. Thinness? Possibly but where at the cost of keyboard movement, speaker quality? It's already one of the thinnest devices they have ever made. Great in the 13" size, but loses some of that with a larger footprint. Less expensive than what? Guaranteed the base model comes with the terrible specs everyone told you to stay away from in the new 13" M2 Air for $300 more.

902700B5-6027-48DE-8D87-7461D471139A.jpeg
 
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deputy_doofy said:
I have noticed that some people want a larger screen without having to go to a pro machine. A $500 16" Dell, for instance, has a pretty nice screen. Trust me, I'd never buy that Dell machine, but many would, and for that reason alone. A non-Pro, larger MacBook (Air?) would definitely grab some of those people.
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I was honestly considering a second laptop the a 17.3" screen. Since I use GeForce Now for gaming when not at home I really want the larger screen.

A 17-inch Chromebook or even a refurbished PC would work here. I'd rather have just a bigger MacBook Air.
 
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