Possible screen sizes of an M2 MacBook (Air) with notch

[ozthegweat]

So I was thinking about how Apple might once again offer two sizes of the MacBook Air (perhaps they'll drop the "Air" as rumored) with the upcoming redesign, like they did when they had an 11" in addition to the 13".

The bigger size will most likely have the exact same display size and footprint as the new MBP 14.2", with a thinner body of uniform thickness. I don't expect any suprises here.

More interesting is what could the smallest MacBook be that Apple would be willing to make? I made the following two assumptions:

1. 28cm wide
   It needs to fit a fullsize keyboard, which means it will be at least 28cm wide, like the MacBook 12" and the Magic Keyboard for the Mac. They could theoretically go smaller like they did with the iPad Pro 11" and its Magic Keyboard (25cm wide), but I don't think they are willing to do that.
2. 16:10 aspect ratio below the notch
   The area below the notch (or in other words: the screen area without the menu bar) on the new MBPs has an aspect ratio of exactly 16:10. Any laptop screen they make will probably need to fit that criteria.

With that, I arrived at a 12.7" display and a device size of 28 x 20.1 cm, which is only 5mm deeper than a MacBook 12" (and the same width). At first glance, 12.7" seems not that much smaller than 14.2", begging the question if that is even worth it. The differences are in the same ballpark as with the two new MBPs however:

• 12.7" has 20% less display area and 18% smaller footprint than 14.2"
• 14.2" has 23% less display area and 22% smaller footprint than 16.2"

Here are some schematics of the new MBPs, the possible new Airs, the current Air and the MacBook 12" I whipped up:

 

[arn]

Seems possible. Apple doing research earlier:

Apple Surveys 12-Inch MacBook Users for Opinions on Size, Features, and More

Apple is sending surveys to select owners of the now-discontinued 2015 12-inch MacBook, asking them about their opinion on the laptop's size,...

www.macrumors.com

I sure there are some that would love another compact Mac laptop.

 

[SethBoy]

Just be ≤ 2 pounds or the Air moniker is a complete joke

 

[Abstract]

Wow, you may have just convinced me to cancel my 16.2" order and get the 14.2".

Actually, I really do wish the MBA would come with the 14.2", as you have there. That, or larger. However, the 12.7" is perhaps too big. Would it be small enough to satisfy people who want more portability? Hmm....maybe.

 

[Pugly]

Wow that's pretty neat. That does seem like an Apple design, to make it as big as necessary for the keyboard. I wonder if Apple has it in them to go after super small computers(relative to what we are used to). They have all the parts to make an amazing 12" MacBook replacement... they just need to put it all together.

The Air came in two sizes for so long...

 

[AppleTech22]

Super interesting to think about. I feel that offering two sizes of the air might be a bit overkill though. While I see the argument for increasing the size a bit, the smaller size could threaten to cannibalize the sales of iPad Pro (assuming they continue to tout the computer replacement ability). Is there really enough demand for both a 12.7" and 14.2" MB/Air?

 

[arn]

Notably the images don’t look proportional on mobile so you need to view it on desktop

 

[Abstract]

Super interesting to think about. I feel that offering two sizes of the air might be a bit overkill though. While I see the argument for increasing the size a bit, the smaller size could threaten to cannibalize the sales of iPad Pro (assuming they continue to tout the computer replacement ability). Is there really enough demand for both a 12.7" and 14.2" MB/Air?

Like when there was an 11.6” and 13.1” MBA?

The ONLY reason I can think of for not having a smaller model is that the notch would be too wide for the screen, and be too prominent.

 

[ozthegweat]

OK, so I tried my hand at a more realistic looking mockup of what a white-bezeled M2 MacBook could look like in the two sizes. I simply took the lower body of the MBP and shrunk its height by 1 millimeter. It still looks quite chunky. If they really move away from the wedge design, they'd probably need to shave off more than just 1 mm.

I don't think they will add a black border around the display. It's not what we heard from the rumors, and it wouldn't match the new iMac design. The area below the display is a bit big however, so I wonder if Apple might add an M1-iMac-style chin matching the device color…

 

[Falhófnir]

I don't think the MBA will be receiving a redesign, I think the M2 Air will be identical to now, just with the M2 chip and retain the $999 price point. The new laptop will replace the M1 Pro at around the same $1,299 price point and I expect just be called 'MacBook'. Notably now the 14" pro has moved up to $1,999 there's more room between a continuing Air, $1,299 new MacBook and the start of the Pro lineup which suggests a new model slotting in there, so my proposal is the new MacBook comes in two sizes, giving the following:

$999 13" MacBook Air

$1,399 14" MacBook or $1,299 13" MacBook
$1,599 16" MacBook or $1,499 14" MacBook

$1,999 14" MacBook Pro
$2,499 16" MacBook Pro

It then sort of mirrors the iPad and iPhone lineups. Like the iPads the entry model has an older design but up to date internals, while the mid tier gets a new design like the top Pro models. The iPhones also do something similar, but they share display sizes (or at least they will do from next year) between the mid tier models and Pro models.

 

[Eric Idle]

Seems possible. Apple doing research earlier:

Apple Surveys 12-Inch MacBook Users for Opinions on Size, Features, and More

Apple is sending surveys to select owners of the now-discontinued 2015 12-inch MacBook, asking them about their opinion on the laptop's size,...

www.macrumors.com

I sure there are some that would love another compact Mac laptop.

Absolutely. The 12 inch MacBook was my all time favorite Mac. I'd buy another one in a hot second.

 

[ozthegweat]

I don't think the MBA will be receiving a redesign, I think the M2 Air will be identical to now, just with the M2 chip and retain the $999 price point. The new laptop will replace the M1 Pro at around the same $1,299 price point and I expect just be called 'MacBook'. Notably now the 14" pro has moved up to $1,999 there's more room between a continuing Air, $1,299 new MacBook and the start of the Pro lineup which suggests a new model slotting in there, so my proposal is the new MacBook comes in two sizes, giving the following:

$999 13" MacBook Air

$1,399 14" MacBook or $1,299 13" MacBook
$1,599 16" MacBook or $1,499 14" MacBook

$1,999 14" MacBook Pro
$2,499 16" MacBook Pro

It then sort of mirrors the iPad and iPhone lineups. Like the iPads the entry model has an older design but up to date internals, while the mid tier gets a new design like the top Pro models. The iPhones also do something similar, but they share display sizes (or at least they will do from next year) between the mid tier models and Pro models.

Yeah, I can image Apple doing the same as they did with the MBP. The current M1 Air could remain in the lineup unchanged, just like the M1 13" MBP.

 

[ozthegweat]

Another version, this time with a thinner lower body, a chin… and in blue!

 

[neo_cs193p]

Another version, this time with a thinner lower body, a chin… and in blue!
View attachment 1877505

Nice job on these renders. They look more plausible to me than some leakers' drawings. I too suspect they will do saturated colors on the outside and soft colors on the inside (and paint the whole keyboard area off-white, just like they did black on the MBP). Frankly, I think they will look great, but I'm really hoping for an all-white variant.

 

[ozthegweat]

Nice job on these renders. They look more plausible to me than some leakers' drawings. I too suspect they will do saturated colors on the outside and soft colors on the inside (and paint the whole keyboard area off-white, just like they did black on the MBP). Frankly, I think they will look great, but I'm really hoping for an all-white variant.

Thanks. I mainly did these for myself. So I have something to look at when Apple will inevitably announce a new 14", with a 12" nowhere to be seen.

 

[Kafka]

I can't believe they will put a white notch that can't be hidden when fullscreen. This is just something you can't do.

 

[TopToffee]

I can't believe they will put a white notch that can't be hidden when fullscreen. This is just something you can't do.

I don’t mind the notch on the MBP’s, but I agree it would be very different if it was white.

I also think it’s crazy if they make all the Airs colours with white keyboards. Given the power the AS Airs pack, they work for SO MANY pro workflows, but lots of professional people won’t want a colourful laptop with a white keyboard, and having to spend double the money to avoid that is nuts.

 

[ggx12]

has there been any leaks with regards to a larger MBA? in your post your considering multiple sizes and I was wondering wether it came from somewhere

I would love a larger than 13inch laptop and it feels like the new MBP 16 is a bit over the top for my needs.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I don’t mind the notch on the MBP’s, but I agree it would be very different if it was white.

I also think it’s crazy if they make all the Airs colours with white keyboards. Given the power the AS Airs pack, they work for SO MANY pro workflows, but lots of professional people won’t want a colourful laptop with a white keyboard, and having to spend double the money to avoid that is nuts.

When you think about it twice,you'll figure that after all colorful ,white,doesn't really matter .you're an adult and you know it,I doubt you'll be looked less professional.if u think logical you'll get the tool that fits your workflow the best,at the price point u like

 

[TopToffee]

When you think about it twice,you'll figure that after all colorful ,white,doesn't really matter .you're an adult and you know it,I doubt you'll be looked less professional.if u think logical you'll get the tool that fits your workflow the best,at the price point u like

And you’ll perhaps realise that while I might think like that, and you might think like that, not everyone thinks the same way, and sadly many judge on appearances, and DO have set ideas of what professionalism looks like.

 

[Tagbert]

… I wonder if Apple might add an M1-iMac-style chin matching the device color…

A chin would be unlikely. That is not there on the iMac for a stylistic reason. It is where the computer circuit boards are. That is not the case on a laptop.

The new MBP would be a better model to follow. There is only enough room at the bottom for the cabling that connects the screen to the motherboard.

 

[Tagbert]

I think, if they do multiple screen sizes, they would go with a new larger screen.

The old, 12” MacBook was never a big seller, but is they trim down the 13” case and bezels, they can probably get close to the size of the 12” Macbook.

What a lot of people want is an MBA-style laptop with a larger screen, like a 15” that would be a useful size for a consumer laptop and not force people to go to a pro machine just to get a larger screen. This is a very popular laptop size in Windows machines. I think a lot of Apple customers would go for something like that, too. The 14” might be just a little too small for that purpose, though.

 

[ozthegweat]

A chin would be unlikely. That is not there on the iMac for a stylistic reason. It is where the computer circuit boards are. That is not the case on a laptop.

The new MBP would be a better model to follow. There is only enough room at the bottom for the cabling that connects the screen to the motherboard.

I'm not talking about a huge chin like on the iMac. I'm talking about one like the new MBPs have (the display doesn't go all the way down and also doesn't have rounded corners on the bottom). In my mockup from Oct 24 and 25, I put a chin of exactly the same size as the one in the MBPs.

 

[Tagbert]

I'm not talking about a huge chin like on the iMac. I'm talking about one like the new MBPs have (the display doesn't go all the way down and also doesn't have rounded corners on the bottom). In my mockup from Oct 24 and 25, I put a chin of exactly the same size as the one in the MBPs.

That is likely. The previous models had some problems with the display cable getting crimped because there was not enough room in the hinge area. What you see on the new MBP is probably to address that, but it’s hard to justify calling that a chin, it really more like a bezel.

 

[Quackington]

I’d love to get a notebook that’s the size of the 11” MBA. I got on well with the width of that. I really liked the size and weight of it. Took me a while to get used to the bigger, heavier 13” MBP even though it’s not that much bigger.