MacBook Supplier Ramping Up Production as 15-Inch MacBook Air Rumored to Launch at WWDC

[KevinVonJames]

It’s also great if you want to draw and use the Apple Pencil. There are things the iPad can do that the laptop can’t and vis versa.

Yeah but you can also use an android tablet or microsoft surface for that use case as well...

ipad is great for drawing though. Still crazy to me that iphone doesn't have apple pencil support yet considering how big they are making the pro max screens nowadays (and bigger sizes planned for iphone 16)

 

[PerfectChaos]

Possibilities:
- Apple introduces MBA 15in. with M2. Both 15 and 13 MBA upgraded to M3 later.
- Apple introduces MBA 15 with M3 and upgrades MBA 13 to M3 later.
- Apple introduces both 15 and 13 MBA with M3 and surprises the hell out of everyone.

At this point, I’m thinking M3 will be coming Q1 2024. I’ll happily be wrong though!

 

[lJoSquaredl]

If this thing has a MBP level contrast ratio (you never know they could add it since the price will probably start to be in line with the pro model) then I'm probably buying 2 instantly. IMO seeing blacks as black is not a pro feature, Pro Motion I can see them holding back tho. Wouldn't mind a port on the right side too, just for the sake of having more desk placement options.

 

[DavidSchaub]

No M2 Pro Chip option ?

If they just use an M2, they can do it fanless (or at least, with a much lighter thermal design). Putting in an M2 Pro would require a very different chassis architecture, and that additional work might not be worth it.

 

[Satch111]

This with the M3 and the best battery life in a macbook would be hard to resist. 16 GB RAM in the base model would be like a cool glass of iced freshly pressed Apple juice on a hot summer day.

I am not sure why everyone thinks the M3 is coming this summer, Apple is on a minimum 18 month timeline for the chips so it won't be until late 2023 at the earliest or 2024 we get the M3. It would also be a dumb move when the Mac Studio and iMac is still on the M1.

M1 - Nov 2020 (announced in June)
M2 - July 2022
M3 - I bet spring/summer 2024

 

[DocMultimedia]

I can't justify upgrading this soon from 2020 M1 MBP 13 inch. In fact, I'm likely to go the desktop route for my next Mac, either Mini or Studio. But, who know's!

I'll also stick with my M1 Air for awhile. In theory. Lol

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I think Apple is messing with Gurman's leaker's, I wouldn't be surprised if the 15 inch MacBook Air actually comes with M3 just like last years Air was the first debut M2. It would incentivize users to purchase it even more. Apple could then refresh the 13 inch Air with M3 when they decide to update the iMacs. The point is, this is just the introduction to M3. Its not gonna be anymore powerful than an M2 Pro or Max.

But I know what you are also thinking. So what about the Mac Pro? At this point, I don't think the Mac Pro is a major priority for Apple. We will get a preview at WWDC, but the eta is still unknown, they could actually push it to January 2024 with M3 Ultra and M3 Max.

I think Apple wants all eyes and talk to be about the headset.

The headset isn’t just some new Mac or small accessory but a whole new product category, possibly the future of portable Macs.

For this reason, I see a best case scenario for new Macs is a MacBook Air with M3 but no Mac Pro, like you said.

But I’m a little doubtful of even M3 showing up at all since just putting it in a not-very-powerful portable Mac would possibly thwart the hype that Apple wants to build for M3.

M2 wasn’t a failure by any means. But much less successful than M1 in terms of hype and sales.

Also, just doing a M2 Air with 15” and maybe better RAM, M2 Pro and higher storage options would warrant a lot of purchases without doing M3.

Mac Pro is going to be the star of some other event but not WWDC 23. It’s too big of an announcement and it would serve Apple much better to spread these big products far apart.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I am not sure why everyone thinks the M3 is coming this summer, Apple is on a minimum 18 month timeline for the chips so it won't be until late 2023 at the earliest or 2024 we get the M3. It would also be a dumb move when the Mac Studio and iMac is still on the M1.

M1 - Nov 2020 (announced in June)
M2 - July 2022
M3 - I bet spring/summer 2024

Especially because the average consumer will be confused by the naming schemes and just opt for the best sounding SoC, M3, and not buy a MBP, Studio or iMac because they appear older/inferior.

I see Apple doing M3 after iMacs and probably also Studio has been bumped to M2.

Yes, we all want this 15” Air to be M3. But how is Apple going to reach sales targets for M2 Airs, minis or Pros if M3 is actually 3nm SoC and is only sold in a new 15” Air?

M3 dropping at WWDC and only in a 15” Air would be catastrophic for the current lineup.

 

[KaiFiMacFan]

^But why haven’t the iMac and Studio been updated to M2 yet, especially if M3 might not come until next year? The chips have been out for a while now. Maybe they will debut M2 Ultra soon and update the rest of the line?

 

[DavidSchaub]

^But why haven’t the iMac and Studio been updated to M2 yet, especially if M3 might not come until next year? The chips have been out for a while now. Maybe they will debut M2 Ultra soon and update the rest of the line?

Because Apple has always let hardware rot on the vine if it doesn't expect there would be enough profits to update them?

I'm so confused why people keep getting surprised by Apple continuing to act the same way for the last 20 years.

Apple doesn't update some of its hardware because Apple doesn't think it is worth their time; and from the outside, we can't tell if they're right or not.

 

[minik]

I am kind of looking into getting this 15-inch MacBook Air as my main work computer. Currently I'm still using a 2017 5K iMac and long overdue for an upgrade. Depends on the screen resolution, I may be okay with the built-in display vs connecting to a DELL monitor (which I prefer not to). If it remains with a M2 chip and Apple decides to drop a small fan inside, I think this may bring the raw performance close to the current 13-inch MacBook Pro.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Even if the M3 comes out in the fall, there is absolutely no reason it has to come to the MacBook Air first other than… They’ve done it before.
Also, people are acting like an M2 product right now is a big deal, but…
The M2 just came to iPads eight months ago and just came to the Mac mini five months ago.
It’s the chip rumored to be used in the headset.
It’s still the flagship chip, and will probably be around in some form or another in the lineup for the next 2 1/2 to 3 years.
And either way, all the other M3 products (iPad Pro, iMac, Mac Mini) aren’t expected until early 2024 at the earliest.
Also, let’s just ignore the fact that keeping around the M2 in the air literally gives them an excuse to drop the price on the current 13 inch model.
It’s like no one here can look at the upside of anything.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Shame that it will be hindered with a last-gen 5nm chip. Like many, I'll wait to buy the 15MBA when it's updated to the M3 in the fall/spring.

If the MBA 15 is equipped with an M2, that would be the current generation chip. And if that happens, there won’t be an M3 option until next year. I would suggest waiting until the product is released and not jumping to conclusions.

 

[Tagbert]

How would something like this be for photoshop? After a lot of thought, I’m thinking maybe a laptop is the way to go, I want an iPad but want a pro, but for those prices I feel like I might as well get a laptop and have macOS instead of just basically a big iPhone. The 15” screen sounds about the right size, now if only they’d make one in black, with a glowing apple logo.

If you are using Photoshop, the MacBook will have a lot more features than the iPad version. Make sure to max out the RAM.

Are you using Photoshop for professional work where you are exchanging files with other designer or is this for personal project? If the latter, I suggest you try out Affinity Photo 2. You get most of the features of Photoshop with a very similar UI for a much more appealing price. You may want the vector focused Designer, as well for the times when you need something more like Illustrator. Both Affinity apps can work on the same files and both do both vector and bitmap work but the emphasis and extra features make the differences.

 

[adrianlondon]

I'm afraid you are just making this up.

He's probably posting from home 😁

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

60Hz display?

It is just a MacBook Air

 

[Tagbert]

If it has support for at least TWO EXTERNAL DISPLAYS I’ll be all over it.

Alas I’m sure to be disappointed.

The problem with that is that the M1/2 only have two display controllers built in. The display controller is separate from the GPU and they take up significantly more space than CPU cores. There just isn't room in the SOC for an additional display controller in this generation of chips. Perhaps with the higher density of 3nm SOCs they might be able to add another display controller but it's probably not high on the product demand queue as most customers don't even have one external display, let alone two.

 

[Tagbert]

No changes mean a new screen size with a comically large notch, which means they still are or were planning to bring FaceID to the Mac at the time this laptop was designed.

There would not be room for faceID in that notch area. There are already a camera and two sensors as well as the mounting hardware. If you've seen the component, it is not small. Adding more for FaceID would take up significant space. It is also likely to be too thick for the laptop lid. That is already a limitation for the camera. The phones can fit such thinks because they are thicker.

the size of the notch is not a particular problem as it fits into an area that was little used before anyway.

 

[SW3029]

If the MBA 15 is equipped with an M2, that would be the current generation chip. And if that happens, there won’t be an M3 option until next year. I would suggest waiting until the product is released and not jumping to conclusions.

TSMC will be disappointed to hear their next-gen chips don't exist. https://www.tsmc.com/english/dedicatedFoundry/technology/logic/l_3nm

 

[Warped9]

We know one thing for certain: we don’t know a damned thing.

 

[Realityck]

TSMC will be disappointed to hear their next-gen chips don't exist. https://www.tsmc.com/english/dedicatedFoundry/technology/logic/l_3nm

Nothing about your link points to specific AS processors. Earlier there was a topic where some posters were arguing about which should come first what gets used in Macs versus what get used in iPhones. Who's the 800 pound gorilla?

 

[Asbow]

The problem with that is that the M1/2 only have two display controllers built in. The display controller is separate from the GPU and they take up significantly more space than CPU cores. There just isn't room in the SOC for an additional display controller in this generation of chips. Perhaps with the higher density of 3nm SOCs they might be able to add another display controller but it's probably not high on the product demand queue as most customers don't even have one external display, let alone two.

And that’s the problem with using an SoC.

 

[Aries79]

If it comes with an M3, I would place my order the second after it will be released. If it comes with an M2, I'll wait next year.

 

[doggystyle101]

Only for $1899

 

[SFjohn]

Shame that it will be hindered with a last-gen 5nm chip. Like many, I'll wait to buy the 15MBA when it's updated to the M3 in the fall/spring.

The M2 chips are current generation (not last). I’m thrilled to have recently purchased an M2 Pro Mac Mini with a true HDMI 2.1 port w/ 120Hz capability. I couldn’t care less about Apple releasing better chips next year. 👍🏻