You forgot the MacBook Pro 13” 😉 (Not really messy)
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New MacBook Air Expected at WWDC Next Week With These Features
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There have been lots of discussions on price in those MBA15 threads. Some people have hoped for a price decrease and others are guess for prices like $1800. To me, the most likely price is $200 more than the same spec M2 13” MBA. This is based on there being a $200 difference between same spec 14” and 16” MBPs. That puts a base price of $1399. Of course Apple could increase the price more if their goal is the push up the price of the overall Mac line. That would be sad but this is Apple we are talking about.
M3 is not ready yet. TSMC has been working on their production processes for the last few months. At this point they are probably working all out to generate enough chips for the iPhone 15. The Mac, with lower volume, is not at the front of the line for new chips. 😞
HobeSoundDarryl
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Yes, by no guesses I meant the rumor sources… not us rumor commenters. We have been all over the place with prices. And your guess is as good as mine. In fact, I’ll hope for your guess vs.mine… or even lower.
But an M2 will already run circles around most tasks and anyone who needed more power would still have the option of 14/16 MBP. I think it is part of Apple’s segmentation into consumer and pro lines and they don’t want to mix those up.
The problem with price rumors is that only a limited number of people know the actual numbers prior to launch. It’s a much tighter circle and riskier to leak. that’s why we often don’t get pricing rumors or if we do, they are often inaccurate. the iPad was a classic example of that.
We’ll have to see where the headset falls into those scenarios. However, if it is not ready to ship now, I would expect Apple to not mention price and only announce that when it actually ships.
As I'm sitting on my sunny balcony typing this on my MBA M2 I notice that the display on this thing is lacking in brightness. Not that I didn't know before based on the specs but it's the first time I have actually noticed that "problem". Other than that this thing is just amazing to work, commute and hook up to a 4K screen. Yes, you can only have 1 external screen but that is of no concern to me. I am more set on mobility and usability. The prospect of a 15.5" sounds tempting but how much more weight will that add? It will be interesting to see how they are going to market this one as the "slim and lite" argument probably won't be there anymore to call it an AIR still?
Not long to go until we shall find out how they intend to turn this into a success.
Not long to go until we shall find out how they intend to turn this into a success.
A lot depends on whether Apple makes any changes to pricing in the current line-up.
Does Apple discontinue the M1 Air? If so, does Apple lower the 13 inch Air to $999? That $999 price keeps Apple competitive for the “normie” market. That’s the person who’s willing to buy a Windows machine but might want to think about a Mac. The first year college student, the business traveller, the moms and dads. Anything over $999 is just too much.
That gives the 15 inch Air room to keep the price down. I don’t see Apple going over $1500. A comparable 15 inch Windows machine is cheaper. A 15 inch Microsoft surface laptop with 8/256 retails at $1299. That seems like a reasonable starting point for the 15 inch Air.
Of course, if they don’t lower the price of the smaller Air all bets are off. But with the M2s rumored to not be selling well and Apple supposedly having a ton of M2s I think a price drop is a real possibility. We’ll know soon enough.
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Looking forward to seeing the new MacBook Air. Hoping to see it in a new colour as well.
Oh sure, I know. I have an M2 Air and it eats everything I throw at it. My only reason for suggesting the M2 Pro was the multiple external display support, not the added CPU power.
It hasn't and not in anywhere near enough volume to satisfy demand. Yield rate of around 55% as well!
Yep, forgot that one. But that model is mostly aimed at the Enterprise anyway as that's the model businesses tend to buy in bulk.
I hope so too but sadly I doubt it. Apple seems to think 120Hz is a premium feature. Too premium for their “cheap” products. Even though it’s getting harder and harder to find any display less than 90Hz that’s not absolutely bargain bin cheap.
Do the Macbooks usually presale right after the announcement or wait til Friday?
Exactly who will buy it if it drifts over $1500, especially if that is base Ram/SSD??
Sad, but true. Apple didn't hit my taste within the last years. Since my beloved IMac 27" died i never found something "meaningful" or tasteful. If rumors aren't true i've gotta wait it out...Most people don't buy hardware based on rumors, they buy what they need for the present timeframe. If you are comfortable with what you have you can wait, just understand it could be many months till you get whats next. There are some past models I gave up well before they were ever released, these days it's no different.
It’s not clear the the chip has anything to do with lower sales. The PC industry in general is down. The Mac had extra high sales for the last 2 years with people working from home and upgrading and people jumping on the new M1s to see what those are like. That pulled a lot of sales forward. Now there are fewer people who need to upgrade and the sales volume goes back down to pre-covid levels which look like a big drop. The cycle will pickup again as the next group of buyers decides its time for a refresh.
Most computer buyers are not that in tune with the ins and outs of the hardware. They don’t know much about M2 vs M3 and are more interested in things that will help them day to day and things that will delight them when they make the purchase. They are not spec nerds like those of us who spend too much time on this site. 😊
I agree that too many models is a bit of a mess, but I don't see any problem with a MacBook Air with a bigger display. I think it's a perfect choice for consumers who want a bigger screen, but don't wanna go for the expensive, too powerful MacBook Pro line.
I think it's because M3 isn't even ready yet.. Apple might launch it this fall, I think.
Midnight is such an elegant color !! 🖤🖤✨️
Well Apple did exactly that with iPhone 14 series, the non-Pro iPhones literally came with last year's chip, so I wouldn't be surprised if they also did that with the new 15-inch MBA.. but hopefully not, at least I hope it'd be a revamped version of it or something because clearly M3 is not even ready yet.