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15-Inch MacBook Air Rumored to Launch in April as Display Production Begins
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
As with all seemingly-odd Apple decisions, dig into where the most money is spent on Macs by consumers. You will find simple dollars & sense logic there.
Agreed, that's where I see them pricing it. $200 more than the 13".
It would be madness to have a MacBook Air M1, Macbook Air M2 ánd a Macbook Air 15'' M3 in the lineup!
Yeah, but that doesn't mean they can't/won't. It's not against the rules, they just haven't had a model that isn't an Air or Pro in several years. This 15" could be that thing?
As for the other thing (sustained performance in non-Pro territory), this 15" could very well be that if it comes with a fan. It doesn't have to have the word "Pro" in its name to denote "serious capability". To me, that's just one part of the 14" and 16" models...it's also their displays and the variety of ports. But a fan-equipped 15" with an M2 should cut right through just about anything as long as you didn't need HDMI, a camera card slot, etc. and whatever else makes the MacBook Pro "pro".
Putting a fan in this upcoming 15" (and tossing both "Air" and "Pro" naming, for logical reasons) yields a fine, more-than-capable notebook. As much as I love the Air, I often get into some design/illustration/photo/video-editing work, so I'd wonder if that would ever take a toll on a fanless machine after a while? But I also don't do that stuff day in/day out, so it's hard to justify a $2,000 MacBook Pro. So something in the ~$1,500 neighborhood that is a little more robust than an Air - but not as pricey/overkill as the Pro - would be wonderful.
And if it came, out of the box, at 16GB/512GB, it would be the first ever Mac I've never wanted to add to/BTO! I could just pick it up locally, as is, without any special options. It would be perfect for everything I do. NOTE: I'm not holding my breath on that; of course it'll be 8/256, and by the time you BTO to 16/512, you may as well get the 14" Pro...
As much as Apple will get right with this, there will be 1-2 "fatal flaws" in its pricing/specs/positioning that, once you run the numbers, you'll be looking for a ~$1,500 refurb M1 14" Pro instead.
If they'd just start doing 16/512 in anything costing $1,499 and up, that simplifies things greatly. Then a $1,500 product doesn't get so close to $2,000 territory after just a couple of modest BTO options. Leave the 8/256 thing for the M1 Air, Mac mini and base iMac if it helps keep them priced lower. But once you hit the $1,500-and-up neighborhood, you shouldn't be having to BTO things that should just be stock at that point.
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In need of a thinner Macbook pro with a large Screen. My Macbook Pro 16 is heavy! Please Please!
Apple's supply chain started production of display panels for a new 15.5-inch MacBook Air this month, according to display industry analyst Ross Young, who has a very good track record with rumors about future Apple products over the past few years.
In a tweet shared with his subscribers today, Young said he expects the new MacBook Air to launch in "early April" given that display production is now underway, but it is possible that an announcement and pre-orders could occur sooner. Apple often holds a spring event to announce new products, such as in March 2022 and April 2021.
A new 15-inch display size option would be the largest ever for the MacBook Air and would presumably be offered alongside the existing 13-inch model. The current 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip was released in July 2022 and starts at $1,199.
Young did not provide any additional details about the new model, including whether it would be equipped with the M2 chip or the next-generation 3nm-based M3 chip, which Apple has yet to announce. Apple's chipmaking partner TSMC began mass production of 3nm chips in December, but it's unclear if the M3 chip would be ready by April.
The launch of a 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip this spring has been the subject of debate given that Apple is also rumored to be planning to update the MacBook Air with the M3 chip later this year, and there would only be around six to eight months between these refreshes in this scenario. As the release of the new MacBook Air models approaches, hopefully additional rumors will help to clear up the situation.
Young is the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC). In the past, he accurately revealed that iPhone 13 Pro and high-end MacBook Pro models would feature ProMotion, that the sixth-generation iPad mini would be equipped with an 8.3-inch display, that the current MacBook Air would have a slightly larger 13.6-inch display, and more.
Article Link: 15-Inch MacBook Air Rumored to Launch in April as Display Production Underway
M2 Pro/Max MBP’s have significantly improved weight distribution. My 16in M1 Max was too heavy.
No doubt notebooks draw more sales than desktops, but the line-up is confusing already - and they would be adding yet-another size between the existing 13 inchers (MBA M1 and M2, MBP M2 with touch bar) and the M2 Pro/Max 14 & 16 inch MBPs.
We may as well thrown in the iPad line-up to add more confusion since Apple has been pushing it as notebook/tablet hybrids for a while now.
Again it wouldn't be worth mentioning if Apple would somehow come around to release several product updates on a regular basis, but they keep handling them on a one by one basis as if it's a 2-person operation.
The only laptop model that needs to see an update is the M2 MBP with its 720 P FaceTime camera and plain stereo speakers. Will a M2 15" take its place we'll see as this rumor has been going on for a long while.
While I was excited about updated M2/Pro Mac minis, the rest of the desktop line up is confusing. A M1 24" iMac, M1 Max/Ultra Studio, Intel Mac Pro.
It will no doubt keep the single chip 256 SSD, invoke hundreds of plaintive cries of "Apple screwed us" on the rumor sites...
Maybe they'll make it like the iPad and offer the same set of colors, or the iMac...
If it was like a larger M1 Air, great. But it'll be like the M2 Air, if it ever happens (not holding my breath). I suspect I'm in the minority, but I dislike the shape of the M2 Air, which is hard to pick up one handed and is missing the lovely wedge shape of old.
All the rumors of large screens still haven't come to pass. A even larger MBP then the 16", 15" M2 MBP, 16" iPad. Stay tuned.
PS everything larger adds weight.
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
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Since Apple released MacBook Air in M2 last year. It is safe to say the upcoming Macbook Air will be carrying a M3 chip? Also, hoping for a 24 Hours of battery life instead of 20 hours.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Again, logic through a consumer lens and logic through a beancounters lens is not always aligned. Modern Apple is focused on profit above all else. If the lineup is confusing, etc doesn't matter until it jeopardizes profit maximization.
I'm with you in terms of looking through a purely consumer lens too. Unfortunately, modern Apple doesn't seem to share that lens.
If Apple reused the 2019 MBP 16" Core i7 14nm enclosure minus the Touchbar and placed a M2/M3 into it then it's a solid sale.
Add MagSafe 3 & HDMI 2.1 as well!
That makes zero sense. They cannot just add HDMI to that enclosure, as it will not fit. HDMI port is for the Pro model. The 15" Air will likely have the same ports as the M2 Air, as it will not be thicker for HDMI.
I assume you mean the Touch Bar, which is a UI nightmare. I liked it for a while, but don't really miss it on my new MBP.
A touch screen would not be more user friendly than the menu bar, and add uneccesary cost to teh already expensive MBs.
Anecdotally, I've watched people using touch screen laptops and Surface devices and other than scrolling they used a mouse to maneuver, open menus, etc.
Unless you get rid of teh keyboard, touch screens are not all that useful.
Probably, but I doubt it will be out in April with an M3.
Yeah seriously. Just don’t touch it and it’s not a touch screen 😂
We can all agree that Apple makes fantastic but very expensive products. On the high-end you've got multi-core crunching, all-day battery beasts with gorgeous XDR screens, but the price tag is way out there. The 15-inch MBA will have fewer of those features and will fall in the best large-screen laptop for most people.
I'm fine with the base being 8gb. It is the "step up" standard config still just being 8gb that bothers me (for the MBA, iMac, and non-pro mini). They should move those to a 16gb/512gb configuration. Since many retailers only (or can only) stock those standard configs, it would make it much easier on those of us who do want memory so we don't have to always custom order. Also retailers (like Bestbuy, Costco and even Amazon) tend to discount or have sales on those standard builds that they can carry.
I think Apple ARE looking through a customer lense, even more than ever. They’re segmenting increasingly with diferent products that appeal to more specific customer bases. That is how they increase their profit. Not many people will go to buy a portable and look at every model on offer. They will have a budget and a use case which will narrow it down to Pro/Air or to a 2/3 options, then they compare those. As you segment a product line it’s normal for the products in that family to appear more confusing as a collective, because very few consumers would look at them that way.
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
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For those that are in doubt why this Macbook Air 15" is a big deal. Doesn't get simpler than this.
9to5mac.com
15-inch MacBook Air set for an 'early April' release, new report says
Apple’s highly-anticipated big-screen MacBook Air is nearing a launch, according to a new report. DSCC analyst Ross Young reports today...
9to5mac.com
Agreed. I wish they'd make a true, ultralight MacBook Air (similar to that 12" Retina MacBook) and just let something akin to the current MacBook Air take the middle "MacBook" slot between Air and Pro.