Just like they didn't stockpile 720p cameras for about a decade, right?
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15-Inch MacBook Air Stockpiled by Suppliers Ahead of Rumored WWDC Launch
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Wrong: 15" Air must be cheaper than PRO. MBA has much less Thunderbolt i/o, much less good display, less ports, much less available GPU cores, much less available RAM. Of course the 15" Air must be cheaper than PRO.
And count on it: two years from now, early midlife in the life cycle of a new box, OS and apps will be liking even more RAM.
Better battery life/lower power consumption
Faster
Cooler operating temperatures/less thermal throttling
More memory
More/Faster/GPUs with more features
Any more?
I really don't get these kinds of comments. Reminds me of Gates, "640K ought to be enough for anybody."
And, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943
How about:
30 MPH is fast enough for most automobile drivers
A 12" TV is big enough for most viewers
$1.50/hour is sufficient for most employees
An average 35 year life expectancy is long enough
Who needs an abacus, a knotted cord is good enough...
...
See how silly that is?
No way. The MBA is Apple's low end laptop and as such will not receive a Max chip.
You are wrong. And, your verbiage is not what my comment implied.
1) M2 already could provide more memory to MBA, but MBA is the low end laptop, so MBA intentionally is not given more memory.
2) M2 already could provide faster to MBA, but MBA is the low end laptop, so MBA intentionally is not given faster.
3) M2 already could provide More/Faster/GPUs with more features to MBA, but MBA is the low end laptop, so MBA intentionally is not given More/Faster/GPUs with more features.
4) Agreed M3 could provide cooler to MBA, but MBA is already adequately cool. Same for battery life that is already good. Improvements are always welcome, but not when already good and at the cost of raising MBA prices due to lower-yield M3 chips.
M3 will be welcome, just like M2 and M1 were welcome. But the higher end will glean most of the initial benefits - - not the low end like MBA. Waiting for M3 for an MBA is what is silly.
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This is a unique idea. Having a product in stock for purchase when it is announced. Let's hope this is true and not just the usual baiting tactic. It is usually announce and then waiting several months for delivery and then the color you want is on back order because they had no idea it would be popular. Sorry that story is very old. So if this is true and you will be able to order and take delivery in a couple of weeks, then this will be a unique experience.
Looking forward to seeing this new laptop at WWDC. Hopefully it will come with a new colour option.
I have a 2016 MBP (15 inch), which still is in flawless condition. I recently wanted to upgrade to MBP 16, however it is thicker and heavier, which are clear drawbacks for me. When the MBP 16 was released, I was disappointed the upgraded machines were so much heavier, also the design is disappointing.
Now the new MBA 15 would be a true alternative, being even lighter than my current 2016 MBP. My current intel i7 chips are sufficient for my daily tasks (coding, surfing, email, netflix), so I suppose the M2 chip of the new MBA 15 will suffice as well.
From your point of view, what would be the main differences between MBA 15 and the MBP 16 besides CPU power and RAM limits? I think the MBA design is much better and sleeker.
Now the new MBA 15 would be a true alternative, being even lighter than my current 2016 MBP. My current intel i7 chips are sufficient for my daily tasks (coding, surfing, email, netflix), so I suppose the M2 chip of the new MBA 15 will suffice as well.
From your point of view, what would be the main differences between MBA 15 and the MBP 16 besides CPU power and RAM limits? I think the MBA design is much better and sleeker.
I agree with you but I think the environment they operate in has changed. Standard economic theory says lowering prices makes sense. And lately they with everyone else suffered a lot as people got much more price conscious due to inflation. They may just sit this one out, take the sales drop and wait it out or they may decide that since they control the supply chain they can lower the prices a lot before they actually loose money, so lowering prices to ship more volume might benefit them.
There have been lots of news about discounts, so I guess they already do this unofficially but giving bigger discounts to retail sellers, while keeping the official prices high.
And I think there have been no rumors because Apple themselves aren't even sure about the prices. I think it largely depends on what response they get back from studies and questionairs and general economics/inflation development.
TL;DR I would not rule out that they change their strategy of recent years (which worked really good in recent years) because if the conditions change, you have to change your strategy and not stubbornly keep at it. Companies that do not adapt sometimes loose big time in the long run. A lower price strategy is possible to a certain degree.
I can’t believe we have a first of its kind 15 inch MacBook Air, but are stuck with the years old dated M2. Between the uninspiring New HomePod which was worse than the original, and now the M2 from last years model, Apple is really resting on its laurels. Can’t they design something innovative and new with cutting edge technology anymore, or are we stuck with overpaid and non imaginative Apple employees who can’t wow anymore!
Apple's supply chain has started stockpiling the rumored 15-inch MacBook Air, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes. The report says the laptop is expected to be announced at Apple's annual developer conference WWDC, which begins June 5.
Despite the upcoming 15-inch MacBook Air launch, the sources believe that overall MacBook shipments will likely face a single-digit decrease in 2023 due to a "disappointing" first half of the year. The sources also said "pull-in momentum" for the 15-inch MacBook Air "has not been as strong compared with previous new products."
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the 15-inch MacBook Air to debut at WWDC. Like the 13-inch MacBook Air, the 15-inch model will be powered by the M2 chip with multiple GPU configurations, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
No design changes have been rumored for the 15-inch MacBook Air beyond its larger display size. The 13-inch model is equipped with a notch housing a 1080p camera, a MagSafe 3 charging port, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a scissor switch keyboard with a Touch ID button, and a Force Touch trackpad.
The sources believe MacBook shipments could recover in the second half of 2023 if new MacBooks with 3nm chips are released, but Apple's chipmaker TSMC has reportedly faced 3nm yield issues, so it's unclear when Apple's M3 chip will debut.
Article Link: 15-Inch MacBook Air Stockpiled by Suppliers Ahead of Rumored WWDC Launch
I think the demand is more for a “cheaper, high-quality, large screen laptop” compared to the 2500 euros you end up spending on a MacBook Pro. If Apple raises the price on this model too high, its not going to give them the uplift in sales that they might have been hoping for.
lineup is getting fragmented….nice that Apple has the OS situation pat down otherwise it would look messy.
Also the Air is starting to look like the Pro….with its squared off edges….what’s Air about anymore?
Also the Air is starting to look like the Pro….with its squared off edges….what’s Air about anymore?
This is one way of looking at this. Let's add few more systems to this list to have a better picture.
13.3" M1 MacBook Air (16/512): $1399
13.6" M2 Macbook Air (16/512): $1699
13.3" M2 MacBook Pro (16/512): $1699
14.2" M2 Macbook Pro (16/512): $1999
16.2" M2 MacBook Pro (16/512): $2499
Given how both Air and Pro 13" models costs the same - $1699, it is also possible that the new 15" Air (16/512) costs $1999 (same as 14" Pro) because of its bigger screen, or even more.
hmmmm I'd add the 512. 13" M2 MBA 16GB, 1TB is 1900.00 without AppleCare and taxes added in. Imagine the cost of the 15".
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"Stockpiling" is not the same thing as "stocking", and the latter is probably the correct term here, fwiw.
Apple's supply chain has started stockpiling the rumored 15-inch MacBook Air, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes. The report says the laptop is expected to be announced at Apple's annual developer conference WWDC, which begins June 5.
Despite the upcoming 15-inch MacBook Air launch, the sources believe that overall MacBook shipments will likely face a single-digit decrease in 2023 due to a "disappointing" first half of the year. The sources also said "pull-in momentum" for the 15-inch MacBook Air "has not been as strong compared with previous new products."
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the 15-inch MacBook Air to debut at WWDC. Like the 13-inch MacBook Air, the 15-inch model will be powered by the M2 chip with multiple GPU configurations, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
No design changes have been rumored for the 15-inch MacBook Air beyond its larger display size. The 13-inch model is equipped with a notch housing a 1080p camera, a MagSafe 3 charging port, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a scissor switch keyboard with a Touch ID button, and a Force Touch trackpad.
The sources believe MacBook shipments could recover in the second half of 2023 if new MacBooks with 3nm chips are released, but Apple's chipmaker TSMC has reportedly faced 3nm yield issues, so it's unclear when Apple's M3 chip will debut.
Article Link: 15-Inch MacBook Air Stockpiled by Suppliers Ahead of Rumored WWDC Launch
In all these posts about the new 15" Air, I've not seen anything about expected pricing. We will wait and see, but I will either get this new Air, or a 16 inch MacBook Pro. I'm not sure how much lower in price the 15" Air will be but if the price is close to the MacBook Pro, I'm not sure the savings will be worth it.
Apple fans have demonstrated that they don't want anything innovative because most of them cant handle the teething pains which come with true innovation.
The 16" MBP is $200USD more than the equivalent 14" MBP so the 15" Air will be $150-$200USD more than the equivalently specced 13" Air.
I think we may be in for a bit of a surprise. Many folks, myself included, like the size of the 16 screen, but the weight and heft are off-putting. Imagine a MBA with a 15" screen just touching 3 pounds - that will draw a lot of users even if the price gets close to MBP territory.
You seem to be hung up on "low end". Low end, therefore this... Low end, therefore that... It's low end only if there is something better. The definition of "Air" is not "Low End". Compared to most PC laptops, an Air is classified as "Premium", not "Low End". A Chromebook is low end. A current Air is only low end compared to a current Pro.
You could argue that Apple should upgrade the Pro before the Air, but that isn't the way it normally works in electronics. A new generation comes out, and then is improved. First an M3, then an M3 Pro/Max. Base model, then high performance. "Tic-Toc". Remember that? Sure, they could delay the M3 until they have a version suitable for a Pro, but that just delays revenue. Remember that each upgrade brings new revenue, but it also has a cost. Companies are in the business of maximizing profit. If a Tic-Toc strategy is more profitable, that's what they will try to do.
No, what is silly is deciding what is right for someone else based on one's own needs/wants. I'm pretty sure Tim is going to make decisions that maximize Apple profit, not based on theories of "Low End".
It would need to be the same quality of screen for match with the 14" Pro panel. No ProMotion. No XDR ( 1000 nits versus 500 nits for 13.6" M2 MBA screen ).
The bigger than 14.2 ( reportedly 15.5) going to offset the more expensive backlighting and refresh controls? Probably not. The issue is that it is the same tech in the 15.5 screen as the 13.6 one. The 13.6 panel already has higher economies of scale than the XDR panel ( i.e., the M2 MBA 13 probably sells more than the 14/16 combined or at least it is pretty close). Piling on the increased volume of the 15.5 ( if don't price it too high) will only drive up the cost gap. The point that folks are skipping over is part of the mission of the 15.5 MBA is to drive down costs for the 13.6 one. Selling fewer 15.5 systems isn't going to help do that.
Pretty good chance that the 15.5 will land $1,799 or $1,899 when dropped into that mix above (folded in BTO options).
[ Note that the 13.3" MBP actually has two screens in its price. There is a smaller OLED touchbar that is not free to add. The 13.6 screen is already expensive (relative to the older 13.3 screens). To jump to 15.5 is just a 14% increase. 14% up from $1699 is $1937 ... but that is the whole system price. The screen panel is only a subset of that. At 10% increase $1,869 ... which could easily flip into $1,899. At 7% ( screen and more aluminum amounting to around half of system cost .. just for perspective ) increase is $1818 which isn't too far from $1799. ]
If the MBA 15" was coming with an XDR screen... then yes it would be higher than the MBP 14". But it very likely isn not.
Some folks are trying to spin the notion that the MBA 15" has to be priced higher than the MBP 14" to depress the fratricide that would happen by folks skipping the 14 (or 16) for the MBA 15". If the end user doesn't want XDR screen and doesn't want Mn Pro (and above) performance, there is no good market resason to make them by the MBP model. And if the better speakers, XDR screen, and Mn Pro (versus plain Mn) gap doesn't provide substantive value to a sizable number of end users. That is a different problem.
If look at the general Windows PC market there are bucketload of 15" , 1080p systems out there. There is a substantial number of people who just want a bigger screen without bleeding edge pixel density or fancy backlight.
Same thing is extremely likely true if set the baseline at a "Retina" screen level. For mainstream stuff XDR probably isn't a top 10 feature.