Gurman: New 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Airs Likely to Launch by Summer

[MacRumors]

Apple will likely launch both an updated 13-inch MacBook Air and a larger 15-inch MacBook Air "between late spring and summer," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, he said the chips these models will use is a "big remaining question."

Gurman said it is "plausible" that at least the next 13-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with the as-yet-unannounced M3 chip, which will reportedly be manufactured based on TSMC's latest 3nm process for improved performance. The current 13-inch model was released in July 2022 and is powered by the M2 chip, which is based on a 5nm process.

Gurman did not reveal if the 15-inch MacBook Air will also be equipped with the M3 chip. He said a 15-inch model with an M2 chip "may still excite consumers," but would "quickly become outdated" given the M3 chip is on the horizon. Last month, Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes claimed the 15-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with the M2 chip, but the website has a mediocre track record with Apple rumors.

Apple's supply chain started production of display panels for a new 15.5-inch MacBook Air in February, according to display industry analyst Ross Young, who has a solid track record with display-related rumors. This model would be the largest-ever MacBook Air, as the notebook has only ever been offered in 13-inch and 11-inch sizes.

All in all, there is still chip uncertainty surrounding the new MacBook Air models, but it is noteworthy that Gurman expects both 13-inch and 15-inch models to be released by the summer. He also continues to expect a new Mac Pro desktop tower with an M2 Ultra chip and the same design as the 2019 model to launch by the summer, and an updated 24-inch iMac to be released in the second half of this year at the earliest.

Article Link: Gurman: New 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Airs Likely to Launch by Summer

 

[dantracht]

I’ll say it again. The 15” air is a day one buy, when it has the M3.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

We went from MacBook Air being launched in April to May and now to sometime in the Summer? 😓

All I care about is the 15” MacBook Air being released as soon as possible.

 

[LeadingHeat]

So I guess we’re just.. skipping the M2 Ultra chip then?

If the M3 is out, obviously the M2 Ultra is still going to be more powerful but it’s like 5 steps forward, 1 step back.

 

[chucker23n1]

So I guess we’re just.. skipping the M2 Ultra chip then?

No.

If the M3 is out, obviously the M2 Ultra is still going to be more powerful but it’s like 5 steps forward, 1 step back.

The M2 Pro and Max shipped after the A16, which is a newer generation.

They’re not going to stop everything just to completion one generation. There will be overlap.

 

[greenbreadmmm]

No.



The M2 Pro and Max shipped after the A16, which is a newer generation.

They’re not going to stop everything just to completion one generation. There will be overlap.

Agreed.
It also makes sense to release m3s before the A17 vs their old order, as they have competition in laptop/desktop chips, not so much mobile phones.

 

[vegetassj4]

Pfffft…15? Go big or not at all

 

[TSE]

I've made approximately $120k on my M2 MacBook Air.

That's money that I would have lost out on if I waited for an M3.

Don't wait. If you need a device, just buy.

 

[diddl14]

The 13” M2 Air is not even a year old. Being already replaced with M3 after less than 12 months makes the M2 sound like an unneeded upgrade. Interesting to see how this evolves over time. Maybe Apple Silicon goes tik-tok like Intel.

 

[anakin44011]

None of this makes sense until Apple breaks the 1.5 year cycle with Mac chips. If everything is based on the A chips, which update annually, then there's no reason the M doesn't get updated annually.

I can see where they will update only their most popular Macs annually with the latest chip, but skip years with the others.

I can see the Mini, iMac & Studio being updated every other year - Mini M2 Pro, M4 Pro
- iMac M1, M3
- Studio M1 Max/Ultra, M3 Max/Ultra, M5 Max/Ultra

While the MacBook Air simply gets the latest M series because I assume those fly off the shelves as they are plenty powerful for 80% of computer users.

MacBook Pro is a larger investment, requiring bigger jumps in performance to justify...so I'm not sure if annual updates make sense.

Also keep in mind that PRICES WILL GO UP...No, this is not a "Tim is greedy rant", it is simple economics. There's normal inflation, plus there's scarcity of materials (neon comes to mind), and finally, each new generation of chips (especially the advanced varieties) will likely become more expensive to build. This makes last year's model a bargain...in other words, the M1 iMac (which costs the same $USD as last year, despite the value of the dollar dropping) still exceeds the performance requirements of most users, so that investment can be amortized over a longer period of time.

I know that this is a very un-MacRumors thing to say as we love to make unreasonable demands (speed, price, availability) upon Apple, but there is a solid logic to the above.

 

[257Loner]

Not a chance, Mark Gurman! If a 15-inch MacBook Air comes out at all, it will have the same M2 as last year's 13-inch MacBook Air. An M3 this year is just wishful thinking on his part.

 

[txscott]

I don't care if it has an M1 chip, that's likely fast enough to last a decade for me. I don't need the computing power for my use case (spreadsheets, email, web, light html coding, manage linux home server via ssh, edit family photos etc.), I want the screen real estate. I am typing this now on a 15 inch 2013 Mac Book Pro running Mac OS 13.2.1 using Core Legacy Patcher. It works just fine for my use case but I'd like to replace it with a 15 inch laptop running an M series processor because I know Intel Macs will soon be really unsupported.

I don't need or want to spend for processing power I don't need just to get a larger screen.

 

[Macalway]

3nm, at 15" yep.

My only issue is the huge upgrade cost for components. This is a deterrent for me these days.

 

[Chazak]

I’ll say it again. The 15” air is a day one buy, when it has the M3.

We are 100% in agreement.

Even my wife who will get my 13 inch M2 I bought last August, agrees I should buy it right away, but that may be just to shut me up about this. I was incredibly disappointed when they held the 15 inch back last summer. We all know they had it sitting right there, but other legit business concerns caused them to wait. I do give Apple kudos for not waiting a full 12 months to add this to their line up even if it is M2 based. Like you, I will hold back until a M3 is the brain.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

I’ll say it again. The 15” air is a day one buy, when it has the M3.

The 15" Air would be a Day One buy for me, regardless of the chip...if it had mini LED.

The MacBook Pro I have is definitely overkill for me. I don't need all this processing power or RAM. And I'd love to have a lighter-weight laptop that does everything I'd need it to do. Unfortunately, I've been using this incredibly beautiful mini LED display for over a year now and there's no way I could go back to a standard LCD. I feel the same about the 14 Plus. I don't need the enormous camera bump and I'd love to get a thinner, lighter phone. But I can't go back to 60 Hz. If they ever bring more advanced displays to their "entry-level" products I'll consider switching. For now, it has to be "Pro" for me.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I see the dates are slipping for the 15” MBA

 

[Premium1]

Can't wait for them to gimp the base model hard drive again like they have been doing with the last few models (air and pros)

 

[newyorksole]

can’t wait to replace this 27” 2019 iMac. let’s gooo.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Gurman said it is "plausible" that at least the next 13-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with the as-yet-unannounced M3 chip

He actually gets paid to ponder things like this…

 

[Adelphos33]

It seems like they are updating the MacBook Air every year with the new chip. I didn't pay attention to chips in Macs when they were Intel, I feel like a lot of people are going to be caught off guard by Apple updating and promoting chips every year when Macs are generally understood to last three, four, five years. I guess it helps that even an M1 chip remains powerful enough for most users' needs.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I have a feeling the 13 inch he’s talking about is not an actual upgrade, but more like the 2019 upgrade from the 2018.
All the added was a true tone display, the big reason for existing was so they could announce that the computer that used to be $1199 was now $999.
It was announced nine months after the 2018 released.
I can see them slightly bumping the 13 inch to have everything exactly the same except for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 to match it’s 15 inch brother, and also now starting at $999.
Still think the people that think the 3 nm M3 is only days/weeks away are just dreaming.

 

[el gringo]

i will sell my MPB 14" for a MBA 15". I cant wait!

 

[GMShadow]

It seems like they are updating the MacBook Air every year with the new chip. I didn't pay attention to chips in Macs when they were Intel, I feel like a lot of people are going to be caught off guard by Apple updating and promoting chips every year when Macs are generally understood to last three, four, five years. I guess it helps that even an M1 chip remains powerful enough for most users' needs.

Prior to Intel crapping the bed, updates used to come yearly as well. 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Airs all had different CPU generations.

 

[Chazak]

None of this makes sense until Apple breaks the 1.5 year cycle with Mac chips. If everything is based on the A chips, which update annually, then there's no reason the M doesn't get updated annually.

I can see where they will update only their most popular Macs annually with the latest chip, but skip years with the others.

I can see the Mini, iMac & Studio being updated every other year - Mini M2 Pro, M4 Pro
- iMac M1, M3
- Studio M1 Max/Ultra, M3 Max/Ultra, M5 Max/Ultra

While the MacBook Air simply gets the latest M series because I assume those fly off the shelves as they are plenty powerful for 80% of computer users.

MacBook Pro is a larger investment, requiring bigger jumps in performance to justify...so I'm not sure if annual updates make sense.

Also keep in mind that PRICES WILL GO UP...No, this is not a "Tim is greedy rant", it is simple economics. There's normal inflation, plus there's scarcity of materials (neon comes to mind), and finally, each new generation of chips (especially the advanced varieties) will likely become more expensive to build. This makes last year's model a bargain...in other words, the M1 iMac (which costs the same $USD as last year, despite the value of the dollar dropping) still exceeds the performance requirements of most users, so that investment can be amortized over a longer period of time.

I know that this is a very un-MacRumors thing to say as we love to make unreasonable demands (speed, price, availability) upon Apple, but there is a solid logic to the above.

Over the last year, the USD index against Asian and other trading partners is +8.5%. It has weakened somewhat since January over commodity prices, but that is not forecasted to sustain itself or impact beyond what it has already. China's currency is as weak as it has been in a long time.

While I understand what your are saying and do not disagree with some it, I find a portion of your explanation unsuportable. Pricing of materials and commodities used in the manufacture of these products is locked in and hedged long before they reach the market as is Apple's cost.

Not everyone and almost all the non-professional consumers buying these product are not approaching their purchase from the line of rational thought you are using.

I would be interested to know if you have any direct experience in this other than as a developer, engineer, power user, etc. or just consider yourself to be quite knowledgeable about the topic.

 

[phenste]

is anyone else incredibly sick of Gurman? it feels like his newsletter is pure “throw it at the wall, see what sticks.” someone please fact-check me on things he’s gotten right that haven’t been regurgitations of Kuo, Shrimp, or (god forbid) DigiTimes.