As far as the rumours go, there will be a new 15' MBA in a month or so. However, the rumours are also indiciating that a updated 13' will launch alongside it. But what will be new on the 13' and what's going to change? There will be no M3 so is it just a facelift or what's the plan?
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MBA 2023 13' - What's next?
- Thread starter Zevertan
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This rumour feels misreported/misread. To me, it reads more like Apple is working on a new 13" Air, likely with M3 which will launch later (as M3 is not due until the end of the year). I can't see Apple updating the Air M2 a year later, what else can they add/refresh right now? Maybe they could bring some colours to excite the market mid-cycle?
Of course, I want to think this as I'm ready to buy an Air M2 but I am holding fire just in case even though I think June will only bring the Air 15".
Is buying an Air M2 right now a bad move?
Of course, I want to think this as I'm ready to buy an Air M2 but I am holding fire just in case even though I think June will only bring the Air 15".
Is buying an Air M2 right now a bad move?
I’m also in the market for an Air M2 right now. There will always be something newer around the corner, there’s no avoiding that.
The only thing I am debating is what configuration to get? Have you decided on that?
This is true, but this gives some pause for thought....
I can get student/teacher discount which helps a little. Planning on owning for 3-5yrs so I've specced:
• Silver
• Apple M2 chip with 8‑core CPU, 10‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
• 16GB unified memory
• 1TB SSD storage
• 67W USB-C Power Adapter
I'm waiting as well for the very same reason. Will also be using the student discount to get a better price. However, I do plan on waiting until the "Back to School" campaign start for additional benefits.
I would highly recommend waiting one more month until WWDC just to see what happens.
From a positioning standpoint, I agree that it doesn't make sense for Apple to launch a 15" M2 Air only to be followed by a 13" M3 Air later in the year. Then they would have irritated 15" buyers. One would think the 13" and 15" would need to get synced in their release cadence at some point, but with it being a new addition to the line and not enough precedence with M-series releases to go off of, it's hard to say.
If I were betting on it, I'd say they bring out the 15" M2 Air at WWDC and bring both up to the M3 line spring of next year. As someone planning to buy the 15" upon release, I'd love a surprise intro of the M3 for both sizes at WWDC this year, but rumors seem to claim the M3 won't be ready by then.
From a positioning standpoint, I agree that it doesn't make sense for Apple to launch a 15" M2 Air only to be followed by a 13" M3 Air later in the year. Then they would have irritated 15" buyers. One would think the 13" and 15" would need to get synced in their release cadence at some point, but with it being a new addition to the line and not enough precedence with M-series releases to go off of, it's hard to say.
If I were betting on it, I'd say they bring out the 15" M2 Air at WWDC and bring both up to the M3 line spring of next year. As someone planning to buy the 15" upon release, I'd love a surprise intro of the M3 for both sizes at WWDC this year, but rumors seem to claim the M3 won't be ready by then.
I suspect that the current 13 in MBA form factor/design is going to be with us for about 4-5 years after the 2022 redesign. That’s the typical cycle. The 2010 design was the exception. I think it lasted over 7 years. We will see periodic incremental processor updates and base price reductions over the life of the design. We might even see a bump in the base memory and storage. Anyway, this is all stuff related to the internals. Don’t hold your breath for a new 13 in MBA design in 2023.
I wouldn't pay Apple retail for one in the next month, but if AMZN or BBY has a screaming deal I'd pull the trigger. I got mine at BBY in Jan for $999. It's been one of the nicest Macs I've owned. It's not exceptional in any way, just really good in every way.
If a deal comes along great, if not let's see what happens in June.
If a deal comes along great, if not let's see what happens in June.
Really hope it is an updated Macbook (ie the 12" retina one) with a facelift and better battery. That would be the ultimate portable executive laptop.
In reality the MBA was 'replaced' in 2015 by the Retina MacBook, but yes, the old design was kept to sell at a lower cost.
Not happening, apparently. Apple believes (correctly, I suspect) that there's more MBA15 demand than for a 12" portable.
It wasn't that clear:
"Apple is working on a larger 15-inch MacBook Air, an updated 13-inch MacBook Air, and an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro, and at least some of these new laptops will be announced at WWDC in June, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman."
That is not true if you've been following along the discussion leading up to the 15' model
It was clear if you read the entire Gurman article.
He says there are notebooks coming this year or early 2024. The ones coming in June won't have M3. They'll come with "something in line with the current M2 processors."
Anybody with common sense wouldn't think there's an updated 13-inch MBA. What would the refreshed 13-inch come with? A M2 Pro that requires a fan? Come on.
Yea not going to be a refreshed 13" air this year, it just got a fresh redesign last year with a new chip. Its not a yearly cycle refresh on these
It's an odd situation with Apple bringing out a 15" MacBook with M2 a year after introducing the 13" MacBook Air with the same M2 SoC. The way it reads now, there won't be changes with the 13" MacBook Air until the M3 is ready. However with the addition of a 15" MacBook, it's possible Apple will rejigger their lineup vis-à-vis price or configurations. Example: Will Apple discontinue the M1 MacBook Air & move the entry M2 13" MacBook Air into the $999 price point? ...Or will Apple instead opt to make the 512GB SSD model the entry level for M2 13" MacBook Air? About 2 weeks to find out!
More likely, Apple will drop the entry M2 MBA by $100 to $1099, and then, reduce the price again to the magical $999 inn the next year. As I recall with past MBA models, Apple took a couple of years to reduce the price from the introductory amount to $999. Of course, this means that the 512GB SSD version will eventually be available for the same retail price as the current base model.
The only downside with this approach is that many large retailers offer the big discounts on entry level models only. So, people hunting for great deals on a new MBAs have fewer opportunities with upgraded internals.