Gurman: Apple Already Working on 15-Inch MacBook Air With M3 Chip

[MacRumors]

Apple is already developing 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M3 chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he expects the updated laptops to be released in 2024.

The current 13-inch MacBook Air was announced in June 2022, while the 15-inch model was introduced last week. Both models are currently powered by the M2 chip, manufactured based on TSMC's 5nm process. The M3 chip is expected to be built on TSMC's 3nm process, resulting in significant performance and power efficiency improvements. Gurman said the M3 chip should have similar CPU and GPU core counts as the M2 chip.

Priced starting at $1,299, the 15-inch MacBook Air's primary differences compared to the 13-inch model are a larger display and six speakers instead of four. Apple says the laptops have equal battery life, and they share the same overall design. For a more detailed comparison, read our 13-inch vs. 15-inch MacBook Air Buyer's Guide.

Gurman reiterated that new iMac and 13-inch MacBook Pro models with the M3 chip are also in development. He expects the new iMac to launch by early next year with a similar design as the current model from 2021, which still has an M1 chip.

The 15-inch MacBook Air can be ordered now and launches this Tuesday.

Article Link: Gurman: Apple Already Working on 15-Inch MacBook Air With M3 Chip

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Is anyone else disappointed by the 15" battery life ? Had such high expectations to see it have the best battery out of the whole MacBook lineup

Couldn't they fit a larger battery in there ?

 

[russell_314]

I think some of these leakers like Gurman don’t actually have a source for some things. Of course Apple’s going to release an M3 version next year. Let me guess “according to a rumor” they’re also releasing an iPhone 15 in October.🤣

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Ughhhh! What was the point of releasing MacBook Air in M2 last week then 😑.

I’m really hoping with an M3 Chip, Apple can push out 24 hours of battery life on a single charge.

 

[armandxp]

I think some of these leakers like Gurman don’t actually have a source for some things. Of course Apple’s going to release an M3 version next year. Let me guess “according to a rumor” they’re also releasing an iPhone 15 in October.🤣

Yeah, this isn’t news or a rumor to me??? Hello, yeah the next ones are gonna be M3’s? This is just click bait fillers to me. 🙄😳😕

 

[russell_314]

Couldn't they fit a larger battery in there ?

Sure, and make it heavier and thicker. Then someone would post. Isn’t anyone else disappointed with the weight and thickness. Couldn’t they have made it lighter and thinner.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I think some of these leakers like Gurman don’t actually have a source for some things. Of course Apple’s going to release an M3 version next year. Let me guess “according to a rumor” they’re also releasing an iPhone 15 in October.🤣

No, iPhone 15 is expected to release in September just like every other iPhone for the last 10+ years. It’s the most obvious thing ever!

 

[bax2003]

Gurman, he is bigger spamer than leaker. Mac Spammer Pro Ultra.

 

[Longplays]

If a MBA 15" M3 were to come out by Q1 2024 it will piss off a lot of 2023 owners who bought a little over 6 months earlier.

This may be acceptable if Apple intends to shorten the refresh cycle of 19.5 months to 12 months starting with the M3.

iPhone chips have a 12 month refresh cycle that occurs every September for the last decade.

 

[phenste]

Ughhhh! What was the point of releasing MacBook Air in M2 last year then 😑

so that people wouldn’t complain about their best-selling computer still being stuck on M1…lmao, everyone knows M3 is coming next year

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Sure, and make it heavier and thicker. Then someone would post. Isn’t anyone else disappointed with the weight and thickness. Couldn’t have made it lighter and thinner.

Ehhhh , well gotta wait for teardown to tell

 

[chucker23n1]

Is anyone else disappointed by the 15" battery life ? Had such high expectations to see it have the best battery out of the whole MacBook lineup

Couldn't they fit a larger battery in there ?

Sure, but it would've been thicker and heavier. They clearly designed the 15-inch to have similar battery life to the 13-inch.

 

[phenste]

If a MBA 15" M3 were to come out by Q1 2024 it will piss off a lot of 2023 owners who bought a little over 6 months earlier.

likely it comes out roughly a year later…which is what people have been asking for (yearly updates) this whole time…

 

[mystery hill]

I think there will be an M4 MacBook after that.

Please subscribe to my newsletter.

 

[russell_314]

Ughhhh! What was the point of releasing MacBook Air in M2 last year then 😑

What do you mean? Even with the Intel models they released updates on the processor every few years. It’s not going to make your existing M2 broken or not good. I’m definitely not buying it because my M2 is more powerful than I need and battery life is plenty.

 

[dantracht]

Mark Gurman. Captain Obvious.

 

[Longplays]

likely it comes out roughly a year later…which is what people have been asking for (yearly updates) this whole time…

The SoC or the MBA 15"?

 

[Longplays]

Hey Gurman! Where's the rumor of the larger iMac that is coming within 2-4 months from now?

 

[Hank001]

Yeah, this isn’t news or a rumor to me??? Hello, yeah the next ones are gonna be M3’s? This is just click bait fillers to me. 🙄😳😕

Come now, instead of a M3 it could also be a N1 😉

 

[Falhófnir]

Of course it's stating the obvious, though timing is going to be very interesting. The M3 will be coming in very late if it launches in June 2024 (a full 2 years between generations!) but if it launches in October-November then what does it go into? A new 13" Air only? M3 iMac plus M3 13" MacBook Pro? Spring 2024 might allow them to do a full refresh of the MBA lineup while being just long enough after WWDC 2023 not to annoy people buying the M2?

Really makes me wonder why they waited a whole year after the 13" debuted to launch this.

 

[neilw]

I think some of these leakers like Gurman don’t actually have a source for some things. Of course Apple’s going to release an M3 version next year. Let me guess “according to a rumor” they’re also releasing an iPhone 15 in October.🤣

An even bigger scoop: they're "already" working on the iPhone 16! Stop the presses!

A common thread to these rumors is the apparent obliviousness to the fact that hardware development has a long lead time.

 

[russell_314]

If a MBA 15" M3 were to come out by Q1 2024 it will piss off a lot of 2023 owners who bought a little over 6 months earlier.

I don’t understand why. The new model cars get released every year but it doesn’t piss off someone that just bought last year’s model. New iPhones get released every year.

I don’t understand why some people feel that they have to have the current iPhone, car, MacBook etc. Just because the new model came out doesn’t mean the old model magically self-destructs.

At some point you’re old model is going to break or just become outdated. When that happens, it’s great that updates are frequent. Imagine buying a 2020 MacBook Air in 2024 when they wait five years to release a new models. You just bought a computer designed four years ago because you needed it. Now imagine in that same scenario you bought a 2023 MacBook in 2024 when they wait two years. You bought a computer that is only a year old in design.

 

[Populus]

And what about a 12” MacBook Air?

Sorry I had to say it.

 

[klasma]

Is anyone else disappointed by the 15" battery life ? Had such high expectations to see it have the best battery out of the whole MacBook lineup

Couldn't they fit a larger battery in there ?

The 15" has 25% more pixels than the 13" (which translates to roughly 25% higher power usage) and is also 25% heavier. Both have virtually the same thickness. A larger battery would make it even heavier and likely also thicker, which would make it feel disproportionately more bulky in relation to the 13". The compromise was probably to reduce battery life by 10%. 18 hours is still a lot.

 

[chucker23n1]

Really makes me wonder why they waited a whole year after the 13" debuted to launch this.

Perhaps because the M3 wasn’t ready, so they made a stopgap product.

As a consolation prize, the M3 is more likely to be an A17 now.