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

[mikeszf]

The number of people who need 2 external monitors on a thin and light laptop is in the low single digits in percentage.

Nevertheless, it is a ludicrous software limitation, probably so you get a pro; I can use Airplay to connect to my TV as a 3rd monitor on 4K@60Hz just fine while the other 2 are 1080p@144Hz on my mac mini, which is basically a MBA M1 sans the Display/Webcam.

Even cheap windows laptops can work around the limitation by disabling the built in display in settings if you want to connect one more monitor than supported by the hardware.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Aficionados are waiting for the M3, regular customers wonder why it’s equipped like their current five year old machine in terms of SSD and Ram and why, when adjusting the specs, the price approaches current Pro prices. It just seems like a bad deal for many I think.

And even those who just do a bit of critical review reading and maybe look into Apple discussion boards will either get confused or disappointed when they learn about the weird semi-downgrades that Apple blessed the entry-level M2 configurations with and probably end up getting a much higher value/$ M1 Mac or don’t buy anything altogether.

Yes, the upgrade that the M2 chip offers is decent. But considering you have to get a custom spec’ed configuration to get something that’s only an upgrade and not a mix of upgrades and downgrades makes the whole M2 line-up quite unattractive.

 

[jnc]

I’m in the market for a new portable Mac. My only requirement is that it drives two external displays as I have a USB-C XP-Pen 2K tablet display and a 4K Ambilight. My only option remains MBP, I’d have got the 15” Air otherwise.

 

[ttyRazor]

Seems like they’re victims of the M1’s success; unless you’re moving off an Intel Mac there’s very little reason to upgrade, and most of everyone who isn’t holding on to an Intel Mac until it breaks has already done so.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Of course they will be upgraded at the same time, and of course it will happen in 2024

Exactly.
Not sure why people assume they’re going to get an entirely refreshed M3 lineup before the end of the year.
We also know that the vast majority of the (already limited) 3NM chips available this year will mostly be going to the new iPhones.
And, just like the M1 and M2 before it, the launch of the M3 line will be staggered over about a year to a year and a half.
I think there’s a small chance this fall Apple refreshes a lower volume product with the M3, like the 24 inch iMac.
But I think they’ll weight to bring it to their highest selling MacBooks and the iPad Pro until the first half of next year, when 3NM production is a lot more stable.

 

[vertsix]

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. 😂

My ThinkPad T440s from 2013 supports 2 external displays.

 

[Analog Kid]

Careful. "Weaker demand than expected" does not mean "Weak demand".

I believe there's strong demand for this product, but maybe Apple set its expectations too high.

We also see the transition from production ramp where they're running full tilt to stock the warehouse for initial release to steady-state production where they're just covering the post release excitement misinterpreted as reduced demand from customers when it's just (expected) reduced demand from Apple after the initial surge.

 

[Mr. Dee]

A lot of comments are thinking the same thing. Consumers are more tech savvy, they know there is an M3 on the horizon and are not gonna be fooled by larger screen. It’s kinda disingenuous on Apples part since they could have waited until the fall to launch the 15 in Air with M3 and it would co-inside well with Sonoma. But the MBA’s were like let’s get them with the 15 inch screen on M2 and get them again with performance on the M3.

 

[CarAnalogy]

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.

Exactly. Apple's upgrade pricing vs base model continues to be ridiculous. Also a lot of the demand that would have gone to this is, as you implied, already soaked up by the 14" base model.

After getting a 13 Pro I had to have ProMotion on everything else because now 60 Hz displays look broken to me. Apple really needs to get on the higher refresh rate bandwagon on even the base models. Performance and size-wise a 15" Air would be fine for me but I can't even consider it because of that low refresh rate.

 

[CarAnalogy]

A lot of comments are thinking the same thing. Consumers are more tech savvy, they know there is an M3 on the horizon and are not gonna be fooled by larger screen. It’s kinda disingenuous on Apples part since they could have waited until the fall to launch the 15 in Air with M3 and it would co-inside well with Sonoma. But the MBA’s were like let’s get them with the 15 inch screen on M2 and get them again with performance on the M3.

Honestly even as a person well aware of this, I don't care so much about that. The Intel / AS divide was the big one. Now the updates are incremental. I really don't think someone who bought this today would be missing out because of the processor. I'd hope they'd be missing out because Apple finally made the display on the next one at least 90Hz.

I don't expect even the M1 to stop receiving updates before the M2 or even M3. There's just no reason to. We'll see how they handle it but I would be shocked and dismayed if that were not the case.

 

[haydn!]

Just another miss-step from Apple. Over complicating their product line-ups purely to artificially bump the prices of products higher up the spec ladder.

 

[Ethosik]

Should have used the M3. Yeah postpone it another year, but don't come crying that sales are slumping. Do not even consider anything like resurrection of an 11" or 12" Macbook. Stop wasting resources and bring back the ****** magic!

I think Apple needs to focus a bit on the high end instead. The base M1 still beats anything on the Windows side at that price point. What we need is for Apple to treat their pros better again. It will cause a domino effect on macOS if people move to Windows since an i9-13900k and a 4090 smoke Apple with even a $6,000 markup.

 

[boak]

What's the average lifespan of the SSD? I don't really get maxing out specs just for "futureproofing".

 

[jimothyGator]

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

I agree. Apple could just have two different lines: MacBook and MacBook Pro. The "Air" distinction is no longer relevant for two reasons: The old, simply MacBook no longer exists, and the new MacBook Air's shape is more like the old MacBook than the old Air.

And the 13" MacBook Pro isn't all that "Pro" (essentially, it's an Air with a fan), so it could be eliminated without leaving a hole in the lineup. If Apple thinks there is a hole, then they could put the M2 or M3 in the 14" Pro, giving something between the current M2 Air and the 14" M2 Pro.

So:

• MacBook 13" with M2
• MacBook 15" with M2
• MacBook Pro 14" with M2, M2 Pro, or M2 Max
• MacBook Pro 16" with M2 Pro or M2 Max

(In my list, I said M2, but this could eventually be M3 across the board).

 

[ttyRazor]

doesnt surprise me . 15 just is not portable. Totally ridiculous product. The Air name should be reserved for 10-13 inch devices. Not 15.

I expected to like it, but it did feel too big when I tried it in an Apple store. It’s not just the little extra weight; holding it upright from an edge feels even heavier thanks to leverage of that extra weight sticking out further. My 14” M1 Pro doesn’t feel much different, just thicker, and is big enough for me.

 

[sw1tcher]

A side note, but why can't MacBook Airs simply be called MacBooks? The Air naming scheme lost its meaning a long time ago and makes no sense whatsoever today. Seriously, nobody at Apple has raised this question?

How has "Air" lost its meaning? The current M2 13" Air is lighter and smaller than the original 2008 13" MacBook Air that Steve Jobs showed us by taking it out of a manila envelope. And the M2 15" Air is only 0.3 lbs (0.15 kg) heavier.

2008 13" MacBook Air specs
Height: 0.16 inches to 0.76 inches
Width: 12.8 inches
Depth: 8.94 inches
Weight: 3.0 lbs (1.36 kg)

2023 13" MacBook Air specs
Height: 0.44 inch (1.13 cm)
Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
Depth: 8.46 inches (21.5 cm)
Weight: 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)

2023 15" MacBook Air specs
Height: 0.45 inch (1.15 cm)
Width: 13.40 inches (34.04 cm)
Depth: 9.35 inches (23.76 cm)
Weight: 3.3 pounds (1.51 kg)

 

[boak]

The Air branding is very, very strong. Absolutely zero chance Apple will kill it.

 

[Smartuser]

A lot of comments are thinking the same thing. Consumers are more tech savvy, they know there is an M3 on the horizon and are not gonna be fooled by larger screen. It’s kinda disingenuous on Apples part since they could have waited until the fall to launch the 15 in Air with M3 and it would co-inside well with Sonoma. But the MBA’s were like let’s get them with the 15 inch screen on M2 and get them again with performance on the M3.

1. At least in over a decade, since I've bought Macs regularly and watched what Apple does, they have NEVER matched up Mac releases to coincide with major macOS releases, and there's never been a point to that. If some new hardware needs support that isn't in the general version of macOS yet, they roll a special version for the new machines and then merge the support into the general version until all Macs are on the same one again.

2. You are taking it for 100% guaranteed that they'll launch an M3 MacBook Air in the fall. It's generally not their M.O. to increment their models after 3-4 months.

3. Consumers are generally not particularly tech-savvy, just practical. They need a computer now, they buy it now. It's back-to-school time now.

4. Nothing disingenuous about selling these computers, it's not like they're lying about anything.

 

[BeeeRick]

When this happens, and especially with the iphone, I usually think that its probably because most people already have the newest device, and financially in today's economy, it doesn't make sense to upgrade or switch.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Man, the M2 generation has been a disaster. The M2 iPad Pro, 13" and 15" MacBook Air, the M2 MacBook Pro line-up all had underwhelming sales. The death is knocking on the Vision Pro's door. It's the last one with the M2 chip. I think it's good that consumers are voting with their wallet. Apple needs to try harder to entice buyers and that's good.

Or, what’s more likely is that the M1 coincidentally launched at the perfect time (during the almost 2 years where people were locked inside of their house and needed computers) and the M2 launched right at the end of lockdown, when people who needed new computers already bought them and inflation was bursting out of control.
The M3 generation is more than likely going to be much of the same, because it’s not a decline in interest in the Mac, it’s a return to normalcy.
And All of those M1 computers purchased during the pandemic are still running fine.
The same thing happens with the iPhone, it has supercycle years. Most recently it was the iPhone 12, with its redesign and it being their first 5G phone. Sales were fantastic, and obviously the 13 series and 14 series haven’t made quite the same splash.
These phones weren’t failures in any way, they were just a return to the status quo.
Not sure why people are acting like this is a new phenomenon

 

[Smartuser]

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

Amen to that.

It's fascinating to see how nearly everyone is taking these types of stories at face value and always knew that something would never sell, and then when the opposite comes out, they take that one at face value and always knew that it would sell.

 

[mrat93]

^ this is it

Apple’s game of bending you over the pole for simple Ram and SSD upgrades is worn out and tired

I don’t have the numbers to back this up, but I think this might be the worst it’s ever been, as far as the disparity between the upgrade prices and real value of components.

2TB NVMe SSDs go for under $100, and Apple charges $800 for that same amount of storage. Did Apple charge 700% markup on storage in the past?

We live in a time where users SHOULD be able to store all of their data locally and internally, but Apple decides that’s a premium feature, so you need to pay them $700 in pure profit for virtually zero extra labor and parts on their end.

 

[doboy]

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.

Yes, because most people follow Apple rumors, haha.

 

[aarinsider]

A side note, but why can't MacBook Airs simply be called MacBooks? The Air naming scheme lost its meaning a long time ago and makes no sense whatsoever today. Seriously, nobody at Apple has raised this question?

Same goes for the iPad range. Do you really need iPad 10th gen and iPad Air?

This still makes sense because the Pros weigh between 3 and almost 5 pounds, while the Air is 2.7-3.3 (which the only one over 3 is a 15”). Plus the Air is the most popular notebook brand name/line as Apple has mentioned plenty of times in the past.

 

[Smartuser]

When this happens, and especially with the iphone, I usually think that its probably because most people already have the newest device, and financially in today's economy, it doesn't make sense to upgrade or switch.

I've heard "in today's economy" since the late 1970s.

It's just people's pragmatic decisions, that's all.