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

[MacRazySwe]

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

"Air" is a product line positioned below the Pro models, nothing else. Last time I checked, the 15" MBA was also way thinner than the equivalent Pro, so that counts for something.

Why should it be reserved for 10-13 inch devices? The 15" MBA serves a purpose by bringing a larger display to the masses who don't want to spend 3k on a MBP.

 

[Aston441]

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

Maybe they misjudged what needlessly yet deliberately cutting off all their previous customers from all future updates, on perfectly good and capable hardware, would do for customer loyalty. Maybe they're finding out that pooping on their (previously) loyal fans, while demanding their wallet, isn't the best marketing strategy.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Then, and this may sound silly to some, the Vision Pro was announced. And I'm considering making that my next upgrade, and keeping my 2020 Intel Air for another year. So, I'm waiting again.

For anyone who can, I actually think that sounds good and makes great sense. From my earliest musings about Vpro, I've steadfastly viewed it as a potential laptop replacement device... the much-wanted 17" MB in a "think different" package... and an 18" and 20" and 27" and 50" MB too.

All tech seems to be trying to find ways to deliver bigger screens in mobile devices (fold or roll, etc). One cut by Apple may have been to virtualize the screen "half" in Vpro so that they could roll out "any-size" laptops. MBpro 13" shows how much physical space is needed for the bottom "half" of a laptop to have a functional keyboard + trackpad (plus whole computer underneath). Physically bigger-screen laptops will simply have to pile in needless bulk in that bottom half to match the width of the top half. Vpro could change that: bottom "half" could be static while screen or screens could be ANY size. Weight for larger than 13” would not scale. Bag size to carry > 13” would not scale.

I'm closely watching how the same evolves myself. And I agree. It very well could be my next Apple "laptop" to be used almost exactly like I use laptops now- pulled out of a bag when I need to do some computing, put away in the bag when I don't. I actually hope it can do that ONE thing very well. The quick demo in the big reveal certainly implied a very real potential it can.

 

[ikjadoon]

All this talk about it not being an M3 or supporting more than 1 external display is only of interest to tech enthusiasts.

It's mentioned in every single review in even the most basic consumer review sites because it's a degradation from previous models. People had an expectation built up.

Even in Apple stores, both customers & Apple employees bring it up: "If you need more than one display, let's take a look at the Pro models because the Airs are meant for light usage only."

 

[fourthtunz]

The sales will double if they add Pro-motion and cost $100 less on both 13&15machines

How bout they don't add promotion and the drop the price $200 and make the upgrades less $$

 

[Mity]

I get the chip
Stock decline but I just think and esp. outside the US people are Really questioning large purchases now. Not like COVID where no one was spending on food/ going out - but rather on electronics and cars. Time changing!!

It depends where. Luxury purchases are actually up in China, which is one of Apple's growth markets. I don't know how much of the previous factors are at play but SOMETHING is awry developed markets. https://www.reuters.com/business/re...s-lvmh-sales-up-17-second-quarter-2023-07-25/

 

[CptSky]

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. 😂

Same boat, the lack of support for 2 external displays is a deal breaker. Is it cheap when upgraded? No. But still cheaper than a MBP, and I don’t necessarily need the extra features. But I still want to be able to have 3 monitors (2 externals). So for now, I’m waiting 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[mburkhard]

Funny how everyone seems to have a theory as to why the 15" Air might not be the best-selling device, while it's not even confirmed by any real numbers.

In any case, I got mine immediately after release and couldn't be happier. I don't do much on a portable but still hate tiny screens. So for me the deal for a 15" Air was quite good.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

The 15" MBA serves a purpose by bringing a larger display to the masses who don't want to spend 3k on a MBP.

Yes, but what people are finding- especially when they want more than what they may consider 2010 base specs- is that they can buy a 16" MBP with more power/flexiblity for the same or maybe even less money. For example, here's a selection of 16" MBPs in the Apple refurb store right now

It doesn't take much 15" MB Air upgrading to be in that ballpark. Yes, I'm comparing M2 new to M1 refurb but I'm also only considering purchases from Apple (third parties can do better than these prices sometimes).

I suspect these relative value collisions will get fixed by Apple in the Fall... by RAISING the pricing on the MBpros due to "inflation" or "supply chain" or the other reasons "we" sling around to justify any pricing Apple springs.

 

[turbineseaplane]

My 13" MacBook Air, which I absolutely loved except for the small screen, was on its last legs. I wanted to trade it in while I could still get a decent amount for it so I just bought the 15" MacBook Air last week. With my trade-in and Apple Cash I ended up paying about $700 out of pocket for it. So if you spend/save wisely, you won't be shelling out $1400 for a new MacBook anything. I love the larger screen size for my work and it has everything I need including amazing speed. The Pro is just too much computer for the copy editing and writing I do. I love my 15" screen.

So it costs less out of pocket if you trade in a different computer and use Apple Cash?

Shocking!

 

[CloudsNeverDie]

With really great PC laptops like these coming out, with upgradable storage and user replaceable batteries, you have to really love Apple to buy a MacBook these days:

• LG Gram Style 14, weighs just 0.99 kg (2.2 lbs). $1500 for 16GB + 512GB, 14" 2.8K OLED @ 90Hz, haptic trackpad, integrated fan and better Cinebench R23 multi-core score than the M2.
• Lenovo Yoga Air 14s, 1.35 kg (3.0 lbs). 32GB + 1TB, 14.5" 2.8K 600 nit OLED @ 90Hz, 7840U with similar battery life to M2 and better performance. Coming out in China first in a few days.
• Lenovo T14 Gen 4 AMD, 14" 2.8K OLED, 7840U, 1.38kg (3.0 lbs).
• Zephyrus G14, Razer Blade 14, ZenBook, Framework 13... and many others.

The competition is getting intense. It's time for Apple to stop releasing heavy laptops with old display technology, the notch, and outrageous RAM and SSD upgrade prices, and thinking they will sell like hot cakes.

 

[dcingie]

Give us that M3 chip and demand will go up.

But they actually need to make a meaningful improvement over the M2. Remember how they’ve basically been using the same Apple Watch processor for years now but giving it new numbers to deceive consumers into thinking they’re upgrading.

 

[cflem]

Wish it had an SD slot…

 

[maxoakland]

They're too expensive. Pitiful amount of RAM and SSD for high prices

 

[cflem]

With really great PC laptops like these coming out, with upgradable storage and user replaceable batteries, you have to really love Apple to buy a MacBook these days:

• LG Gram Style 14, weighs just 0.99 kg (2.2 lbs). $1500 for 16GB + 512GB, 14" 2.8K OLED @ 90Hz, haptic trackpad, integrated fan and better Cinebench R23 multi-core score than the M2.
• Lenovo Yoga Air 14s, 1.35 kg (3.0 lbs). 32GB + 1TB, 14.5" 2.8K 600 nit OLED @ 90Hz, 7840U with similar battery life to M2 and better performance. Coming out in China first in a few days.
• Lenovo T14 Gen 4 AMD, 14" 2.8K OLED, 7840U, 1.38kg (3.0 lbs).
• Zephyrus G14, Razer Blade 14, ZenBook, Framework 13... and many others.

The competition is getting intense. It's time for Apple to stop releasing heavy laptops with old display technology, the notch, and outrageous RAM and SSD upgrade prices, and thinking they will sell like hot cakes.

Except Windows sucks.

 

[JGIGS]

1. Unless you really need to upgrade a really old macbook/laptop you're probably better off using what you have since this device is targeted at more casual computing users.

2. Not supporting two monitors is a pretty big miss as well.

 

[CloudsNeverDie]

Except Windows sucks.

That's your opinion, but hey, at least the manufacturer lets you run any OS you want! Linux is popular.

 

[Corefile]

Apple has been learning from Intel Marketing on how to wring every dollar from the buying customer. Charging these amounts for an 8/256 model in 2023 is daylight robbery. I've heard of maximizing shareholder value but AAPL is taking the p!ss with this 15" model.

 

[Eric_WVGG]

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 don't think it's a mess at all. It's almost identical to the iPhone Lineup.

iPhone in two sizes
iPhone Pro in two sizes
iPhone SE

Macbook Air in two sizes (13" and 15")
Macbook Pro in two sizes (14" and 16")
"Macbook SE" (Pro w/ Touchbar)

the only confusion is that the 13 is called a Pro

 

[Eric_WVGG]

If the 15" has depressed demand, I think it's simply because it came out too early for back-to-school, and too late for folks who needed an M2 and already went shopping.

 

[kingtj1971]

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.

Maybe this doesn't explain why overall sales are slower than expected? But I agree, personally. I really have no interest in any of the Mac products anymore if they're not "high spec" configurations. Maybe I don't need an 8TB SSD or anything that extreme. But I sure do want at LEAST a 2TB in there and no less than 32GB or RAM these days.

I mean, since they're completely non-expandable after the fact, I can't see shelling out well over $1,000 for one and still getting something that feels like a compromise in specs like system RAM and disk storage space.

I paid the crazy-high sticker price to get the M1 Max Macbook Pro 16" when it came out, and got it in what I considered a good configuration. I plan on getting several years of good use out of it, at the least. So that meant I'm skipping this whole series of M2 portables.

 

[RowellE]

Bring back the 12” MacBook with the new M chips.

 

[minik]

Wish it had an SD slot…

The feedback to Apple was ‘wish it supports more than one external display’.

 

[DailySlow]

The need to future prep is driving this, I think.

 

[Pinkyyy 💜🍎]

I think this is mainly because it came with M2, which is a chip that is currently more than one year old. Apple should’ve just waited until they were done with M3 and released it with M3 along with the M3 13” MBA.