15" MacBook in 2023

[Silvestru Hosszu]

The 15’’ Air would attract not only people who want a bigger screen mac on the cheap.
For example, I need a bigger than 13-14’’ laptop which is light. I cannot find anything like that in Apple land.
The main use case being office apps I had to buy an Lg Gram 17’’ which is more than ok for the purpose but doesnt run OsX…

 

[VivienM]

The 15’’ Air would attract not only people who want a bigger screen mac on the cheap.
For example, I need a bigger than 13-14’’ laptop which is light. I cannot find anything like that in Apple land.
The main use case being office apps I had to buy an Lg Gram 17’’ which is more than ok for the purpose but doesnt run OsX…

The 16" MacBook Pro is not light?!?!?!?!?

 

[Tagbert]

The 16" MacBook Pro is not light?!?!?!?!?

It’s significantly heavier than something in the Air line. It’s a workhorse and has weight, performance, and price to match. There is a need for a more consumer level machine with a larger screen.

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

The 16" MacBook Pro is not light?!?!?!?!?

No, it is not. At least not compared to something like the Lg Gram.
To be clear, I do have the 16 MBP Max also. And I use it quite often at home and when I have longer journeys, but it is not the most appropriate device for my typical work scenario.
I manage 3 offices of which 2 are out of town. I am 4 days a week at my main office where I have a desktop computer set up.
One day every week I'm out of town, working in one of those 2 offices. I usually leave very early in the morning, travel to the location (travel which includes 20 minutes walk) I'm doing my stuff there, including 4-5 hours using the computer and I'm back in the evening. All I do is document editing (word + pdf) some web browsing and using email. I do not need the power of the 16 MBP for this task but need a bigger screen than 13 or 14'' (I am 47 and my eyes are not what once were) to be able to work comfortably and I see no reason to set up whole desktops or monitors everywhere.
And trust me, there is a significant difference lugging around the 16 MBP and something like a LG Gram.
There is definitely a place for a bigger air.

 

[MayaUser]

I agree that an 15" Mba with 3nm with even greater battery and performance than the M2 Mba will be a best selling laptop for Apple

 

[MayaUser]

No, it is not. At least not compared to something like the Lg Gram.
To be clear, I do have the 16 MBP Max also. And I use it quite often at home and when I have longer journeys, but it is not the most appropriate device for my typical work scenario.
I manage 3 offices of which 2 are out of town. I am 4 days a week at my main office where I have a desktop computer set up.
One day every week I'm out of town, working in one of those 2 offices. I usually leave very early in the morning, travel to the location (travel which includes 20 minutes walk) I'm doing my stuff there, including 4-5 hours using the computer and I'm back in the evening. All I do is document editing (word + pdf) some web browsing and using email. I do not need the power of the 16 MBP for this task but need a bigger screen than 13 or 14'' (I am 47 and my eyes are not what once were) to be able to work comfortably and I see no reason to set up whole desktops or monitors everywhere.
And trust me, there is a significant difference lugging around the 16 MBP and something like a LG Gram.
There is definitely a place for a bigger air.

I dont think the 15" Mba will be lighter or the same weight as the LG gram counterpart
So the Mba has around 1.3kg and an 15" with more materials, battery will be probably around 1.8kg so not that far from the current 2.1kg 16" Mbp, while the 17" gram is around 1.4kg
So based on the travel, the 13" Mba will be unbeatable , the 15" will offer in exchange more screen real estate and more battery life
Lets not forget that the 15" Lg gram was around the same weight as the former 12" Macbook
But its kind of impressive when i see people complaining about an large 2kg laptop these days and back in the 90 nobody were complaining about the 4kg laptops
I think Apple if they release the 15" Mba , they should remove the 13" Mba one year from the 15" release and replace it with the 12" Macbook with 3nm SoC under 2 pounds , i saw a lot of people loving that device

 

[GMShadow]

Not necessarily - I think there is some history of Apple, probably rather deliberately, NOT launching multiple sizes of the same product at the same time. e.g. the retina 15" came out a while before the retina 13", the iMac G4 launched as a 15" only, then 17" and 20" later, the retina iMac launched only as a 27", etc. Trying to remember if 13/15/17" unibodies launched at the same time.

The other thing - could they reintroduce a plain-vanilla "MacBook"?

The unibodies were weird. There wasn't a 13" MBP at the time, and they came out with the unibody 2008 MacBook not-Pro, while still selling and updating the polycarbs. Then, when the 15" unibody MBP launched in fall 2008, it had a battery door still and they kept selling the 17" in the old chassis with a minor spec bump.

Then in January 2009 they announced the unibody 17" with no battery door.

Then at WWDC 09 the 13" MacBook became a Pro, and the 15" was refreshed to bring the design in-line with the 17".

 

[Gudi]

The passively cooled MacBook Air will not get an M2 Pro chip. And if you add a fan and a bigger battery, you have created a more worse MacBook Pro. So nope, not gonna happen! It's just a bigger screen.

 

[darngooddesign]

I dont think the 15" Mba will be lighter or the same weight as the LG gram counterpart
So the Mba has around 1.3kg and an 15" with more materials, battery will be probably around 1.8kg so not that far from the current 2.1kg 16" Mbp, while the 17" gram is around 1.4kg
So based on the travel, the 13" Mba will be unbeatable , the 15" will offer in exchange more screen real estate and more battery life
Lets not forget that the 15" Lg gram was around the same weight as the former 12" Macbook
But its kind of impressive when i see people complaining about an large 2kg laptop these days and back in the 90 nobody were complaining about the 4kg laptops
I think Apple if they release the 15" Mba , they should remove the 13" Mba one year from the 15" release and replace it with the 12" Macbook with 3nm SoC under 2 pounds , i saw a lot of people loving that device

I think we can extrapolate from the 14" and 16" MBPs that the 15" Air will weigh as much as the 14" MBP. It will be noticeably lighter and thinner than the 16" MBP.

 

[Tagbert]

I think we can extrapolate from the 14" and 16" MBPs that the 15" Air will weigh as much as the 14" MBP. It will be noticeably lighter and thinner than the 16" MBP.

If you extrapolate from the 13.5” Air, the 15” Air would be lighter than the 14” MBP.

 

[senttoschool]

The best possible outcome would be if Apple discontinues the MacBook Air M1, drops the price of the MacBook M2 to $999 & introduces a 15" MacBook Air above that price bracket, much like they do with everything else.

I think the best possible lineup Apple could make right now is this:

MacBook SE (rebadged M1 Air): $899
MacBook Air 13": $1,199
MacBook Air 15": $1,499
MacBook Pro 14": $1,999
MacBook Pro 16": $2,499

Apple should not drop the price of M2 Air to $999 because it's still too expensive when compared to Walmart/Costco laptops which are the majority of what people buy.

Instead, Apple should introduce a Macbook SE that is below $1,000. Ideally, it should be $799-$850 but inflation has caused prices to go up in the last 2 years.

 

[maflynn]

MacBook Air 15": $1,499

What would a 15" MBA offer that isn't present in the 16" MBP? I'm not doubting that it won't happen. There's too much chatter and rumors to make a 15" MBA a distinct possibility. Yet with that said, would a 15" MBA increase Apple sales or would it cause people buying the 16" MBP, buy a less expensive but capable 15" MBA?

Smarter people then me run apple, and if they're planning on rolling out a 15" MBA they would already know this answer but for me on the outside looking in, I'm not so sure.

The one thing I hope with a new product line up is the removal of the 13" MBP, as you have shown. That was a mistake imo to keep that product on as long as apple has

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

I would easily pay 1799 or even 1999 for a 15'' MacBook Air.
For me, the weight is much more important than the price.

 

[senttoschool]

What would a 15" MBA offer that isn't present in the 16" MBP? I'm not doubting that it won't happen. There's too much chatter and rumors to make a 15" MBA a distinct possibility. Yet with that said, would a 15" MBA increase Apple sales or would it cause people buying the 16" MBP, buy a less expensive but capable 15" MBA?

Smarter people then me run apple, and if they're planning on rolling out a 15" MBA they would already know this answer but for me on the outside looking in, I'm not so sure.

The one thing I hope with a new product line up is the removal of the 13" MBP, as you have shown. That was a mistake imo to keep that product on as long as apple has

It would offer a lower price, much lighter weight, thinner. That's it. That's all people want.

The 15" laptop is the biggest laptop market.

Would some 16" Pro users buy the 15" Air over it? Yes.

Would overall Mac revenue increase with the 15" Air? I think yes and Apple seems to think so as well.

 

[maflynn]

Would some 16" Pro users buy the 15" Air over it? Yes.

I think that's going to be understated. Spending 3,000 to 4,000 for a 16" MBP vs. maybe under 2k for a 15" MBA. More people will opt for the less expensive option

Would overall Mac revenue increase with the 15" Air? I think yes and Apple seems to think so as well.

That's the big question, amongst Mac consumers there could be a demand for this product, but they were going to buy a Mac anyways. Will this draw in new customers? I don't know in all honesty.

 

[MayaUser]

It would offer a lower price, much lighter weight, thinner. That's it. That's all people want.

The 15" laptop is the biggest laptop market.

Would some 16" Pro users buy the 15" Air over it? Yes.

Would overall Mac revenue increase with the 15" Air? I think yes and Apple seems to think so as well.

Since the current 13" Mba with proper config approach the 14" Mbp...the 15" will be even less of a deal...so lower price, i dont know, only if Apple place the 13" M2 Mba at 999 and the 15" starts from 1199
I dont know if the 15" is the bigget laptop market right now with so many display options..
Bring back the 12" Macbook at 999 , release the 15" Mba at 1199 but how things are now? no way, the 14" Mbp is way to close of what an 15" Mba can be

 

[senttoschool]

That's the big question, amongst Mac consumers there could be a demand for this product, but they were going to buy a Mac anyways. Will this draw in new customers? I don't know in all honesty.

Apple is betting yes. I'm too.

Apple is trying to get Macs into the enterprise and businesses. They've been trying for a while now. But the enterprise and businesses do not need Macbook Pros for 95% of their employees. They just need something like the 13" Air but bigger.

Again, the inexpensive 15" laptop market is the biggest. Apple does not have a competing product here. The $2500 16" is not a competitor.

 

[pshufd]

I would have recommended an iMac or a mini with a monitor.

 

[Scarrus]

I’m betting on a MacBook. Nothing about a 15” device is “air” and if it’s as thin as the 13” M2 then it will just bend too easily.

What they need to bring is a 13” and a 15” standard Macbook with active cooling and the M2 Pro as an option.
Standard Display and everything else just like the air just a bit thicker for the cooling. Kind of like something they had back in 2007-2010 with the normal MacBook.
This would be a product that sells like crazy, I know I’d buy one!

 

[Scarrus]

15" MacBook Air Pro Max 🤣

15” MacBook Air PLUS

 

[unrigestered]

I’m betting on a MacBook. Nothing about a 15” device is “air” and if it’s as thin as the 13” M2 then it will just bend too easily.

What they need to bring is a 13” and a 15” standard Macbook with active cooling and the M2 Pro as an option.
Standard Display and everything else just like the air just a bit thicker for the cooling. Kind of like something they had back in 2007-2010 with the normal MacBook.
This would be a product that sells like crazy, I know I’d buy one!

I know i wouldn't!

Apple Silicon is already crazy fast for many tasks without active cooling, so leave the cooling fans for the “Pro“ models, anything else should be fan-less.

it's not a disadvantage, it's a feature!

 

[maflynn]

anything else should be fan-less.

I think active cooling is an advantage, and given how well apple tunes the fan curve, I think it provides great benefits for tasks that requires sustained loads. I barely hear the fans on my MBP now but they're there for when the need arises. Likewise Apple could and imo should offer that same level of cooling for MBAs - just my $.02

 

[Tagbert]

I think active cooling is an advantage, and given how well apple tunes the fan curve, I think it provides great benefits for tasks that requires sustained loads. I barely hear the fans on my MBP now but they're there for when the need arises. Likewise Apple could and imo should offer that same level of cooling for MBAs - just my $.02

But for many of us, those fans are a downside and we don’t need sustained loads. that is what the Pro machines are for. The MBPs are great if you need performance but there are tradeoffs. Air buyers prefer the lighter, more compact, and totally silent Airs. If the Air is 15% slower on a task that I run once a month, I don’t care.

 

[senttoschool]

I think active cooling is an advantage, and given how well apple tunes the fan curve, I think it provides great benefits for tasks that requires sustained loads. I barely hear the fans on my MBP now but they're there for when the need arises. Likewise Apple could and imo should offer that same level of cooling for MBAs - just my $.02

Nah, a fan adds moving parts, gathers dust, and fans are some of the first components to fail.

I loved my M1 Air and wouldn't change a thing. Likewise, I love my MBP 16 as well.

Even without a fan, the Air is overkill in terms of power for most people.

 

[senttoschool]

Yet with that said, would a 15" MBA increase Apple sales or would it cause people buying the 16" MBP, buy a less expensive but capable 15" MBA?

This would be like Apple creating only two iPhone models, iPhone Mini and iPhone Pro Max, because they want people to buy a Pro max.

It's overkill for most people. It's too large, heavy, and expensive for most people.

If people want a bigger screen than the Air, the only choice they have now is the 16". The 14" MBP is not a worthwhile increase in screen space over the 13" Air. The 15" Air is sorely needed.