15-Inch MacBook Air Demand Reportedly 'Weaker Than Expected' So Far

[MacRumors]

Initial customer demand for the new 15-inch MacBook Air has been "weaker than expected," according to a DigiTimes report citing sources within Apple's supply chain. The report claims that 15-inch MacBook Air shipment volume in July has been 50% less than originally estimated amid a broader downturn in the notebook market.

As a result of this "poor start," the report claims that some Apple suppliers have requested a reduction in 15-inch MacBook Air shipments.

Launched at WWDC last month, the 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299 and has the same design and M2 chip as the 13-inch model, but with a larger display and two extra speakers. It is the first time that Apple has offered a 15-inch display for the MacBook Air, which was previously only available in 13-inch and discontinued 11-inch size options.

It's unclear if 15-inch MacBook Air demand has met Apple's own internal expectations so far. Apple is set to report its third quarter earnings results on August 3, and it may share some comments about the laptop then. Other new Macs launched during the quarter included spec-bumped Mac Studio and Mac Pro models.

The report claims that the MacBook supply chain can look forward to the "upcoming announcement" of a new MacBook Pro, without providing any additional details. The publication previously claimed that Apple plans to release a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 chip later this year. The M3 chip is widely expected to be fabricated with TSMC's 3nm process for significant performance and power efficiency improvements compared to the 5nm-based M2 chip in the existing 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Article Link: 15-Inch MacBook Air Demand Reportedly 'Weaker Than Expected' So Far

 

[dantracht]

Another misjudgment like the 14 plus? Too many options in the lineup?

 

[surfzen21]

Give us that M3 chip and demand will go up.

 

[markfc]

Crazy expensive for what it is. Was going to replace my Mid 2015 15" MacBook Pro till I found out it can only handle 1 external display. 😂

 

[Marbles1]

The lineup is a bit of a mess at the moment.

13 Macbook pro (with Touch Bar)
13 MacBook air
14 MacBook pro
15 MacBook Air
16 MacBook pro

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

This info is from DigiTimes, so I expect an article directly contradicting it within the week.

 

[moulderine]

I was (and still am) very interested but M2 chip way too close in performance to M1 and with M3 around the corner was a no-go.

Will either get the M3 pros or finally upgrade with the M3 air.

 

[Dwalls90]

I'm all for giving consumers more options, and I don't think someone should need to get the Pro to have a bigger screen, but I've found my 13.6" screen on my M2 MBA to be the perfect screen size upgrade from the M1 MBA. This seems eerily similar to the 14 Plus phone, which also didn't sell as well as expected.

 

[Jws]

With rumors of the M3 forthcoming to the Air, I assume most people are choosing to wait since it’s unlikely Apple will only update the 13” model with the newest processor.

 

[a m u n]

That’s because when you configure it to a decent setup, it ends up costing nearly as much as a last-generation 16-inch MacBook Pro.

 

[boak]

Price-cut incoming?
$999 for 13-inch, $1199 for 15-inch

 

[dantracht]

That’s because when you configure it to a decent setup, it ends up costing nearly as much as a last-generation 16-inch MacBook Pro.

This. A much better deal.

 

[Klagarde]

It can't power 2 external displays if it could it would have been instabuy for me.
Additionally, the m3 chip is incoming.

 

[BeerDrinkerDan]

But but...I saw so many GIFs of Fry saying "Shut up and take my money!" on this site...

-dan

 

[cjgrif]

Truthfully, if the 13 and 15 inch Airs had been available at the same time, I would have gotten the 15 since most of my previous laptops have been 17 inch Windows machines. Now that I have the 13 inch, I don't miss the extra size for what I'm using it for.

 

[boswald]

I’d buy one if I could because I’m tired of squinting at a 13” screen.

 

[Dwalls90]

I was (and still am) very interested but M2 chip way too close in performance to M1 and with M3 around the corner was a no-go.

Will either get the M3 pros or finally upgrade with the M3 air.

You're likely going to be waiting until next Spring...

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

Hey Apple, I did my bit to make the MBA 15 successful.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

It's probably because most people interested in a MacBook Air already got one.

 

[timber]

Don't know how relevant that is but all the businesses (that issue MBs) and people I know prefer to get a cheaper M1 MBP 16.

 

[mrat93]

I bet sales would be higher if they didn’t nearly double the price for $200-worth of memory/storage upgrades.

 

[zedsdead]

This was released late in the M2 cycle and after the initial MacBook Air launch, so once if it goes to M3 alongside the 13" that will generate sales.

Also you cannot discount that so many people upgraded this Macs during the pandemic. Most people just don't need to upgrade yet.

 

[havaloc]

I've been deploying these where I work, and I bought one after looking at a 13" and a 15" side by side at a Costco of all places. All this talk about it not being an M3 or supporting more than 1 external display is only of interest to tech enthusiasts. It papered over a large hole in the line up and it's an easy laptop to recommend.

 

[Orange Bat]

I bought it and I love it. I think the problem is who Apple is marketing this towards. It’s perfect as a standalone laptop when you don’t plan to connect it to external monitors. It’s light, yet has a big enough screen to do real work.

However, I do think that the 15 inch Air needs a little more pricing space between it and the 14 inch Pro. This could be easily done by increasing the RAM to 16GB for a low-end machine, which is where it should be anyway.

Otherwise, I think this computer is a homerun after nearly 2 months of ownership. It handles all my programming and video editing needs with no problems whatsoever.

 

[4odomi]

The main issue is the base configuration, No one in their right mind will be purchasing 8gb 256gb any more, I'm just a normal user and 256gb is too small for me, I can live with 8gb at the moment, however even I know I need 16gb for future proofing. At £1700 for that config, it's just not good value, compared to 14" Pro.
The next issue is the M2 chip, basically it's just an over clocked M1 with the addition of a media engine, (most buyers of this machine aren't creators), so most buyers like me are waiting for the M3 chip. Consumers these days are too smart to fall for the usual hype.
The final issue is; once you get past the bigger screen, it's compromised at every level compared to the Pro's... Screen, speakers, Pro Motion, Camera, IO's.
Like I said, I'm just a normal user not a pro and the only upgrade I'm considering is the M3 14" or 16" pro.
Once you you get to 16gb & 512gb the 15" is just not value for money.
I said from day one, it was not as good as the hype and these sales figures don't surprise me.