There will be a lot of disappointed people, who think they'll be getting a 15" air with M3 FOR $1500 🤣
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Production of 15-Inch MacBook Air Components Underway, WWDC Launch Looking Likely
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Also as said there are so many stateside deals for the new 2021 MBPs stock being available in chain stores also where 15" MBA can't hold a candle too. $1599 USD buys you a 14" M1 Pro 16GB RAM/512GB SSD, mini-LED display.
How do you plan to incorporate your wish list in the air, without adding price & heft to it 🤔
Also Better speakers & microphones, pro motion and proper cooling, I would also say the camera is better on the M1 Pro's.
You mean like the older cheaper wedge shaped MBA from 2017 with an SD Card, which is really the 2012 model, spec bumped.
That's the only likely price if it has an M3 in it, which is not what most of the people getting excited about this are looking for 🤣
As a Day-1 buyer of the last 2 MBP redesigns (the 2016 13" MBP Touchbar and the 2021 14" M1 Pro MBP), I've also begun to realize this is the landscape. We pay full-price to buy things Day 1 (and if you upgrade like I did to 32gb mem / 1TB SSD, even more-so given Apple's "full-fat" upgrade pricing), but a few months later, base models (especially) go on discount at Amazon / B&H Photo, etc.
And while there is some value / benefit to having the latest-greatest when it first comes out (would be lying if this wasn't the case for me), 6 months later, 1yr later, 2yrs later, you don't even remember. Human nature!
I think even more so in today's weaker market / economy / strength of consumer, there's some good sense in potentially waiting a bit post-release date for sales. Even more so if you're going to get the base model.
My wife is still rocking her 2015 15" MBP, which she got only because of the bigger screen (doesn't need the power at all). She's excited about a new 15" MBA, but I think we'll wait 4-6 months post-release and look for sales. If it is released in late Spring / WWDC, I could see there being some discounts during Black Friday / end-of-year sales.
Yes for me it's screen size and price. I despise that they lock the biggest screen behind insane specs and pricing.
Would you like to maybe read the whole question and answer it?....instead of sending a link to a lap top, which was both heavier and with a smaller screen than the current one 😏
What am I missing? Refurbished 14": $1539. The 13" already costs $1199, which will put the 15" at roughly $1399. In what world would anyone pick a 15" Air over the 14" that comes with 16GiB and 500GB by default as well as the XDR display...??? It is still readily available new from retailers too.
I can't be the only one who isn't excited for another brand new entry level device that has worse hardware than the Pro hardware from over a year ago. Similarly to how I would always pick the previous-gen iPhone Pro over the current-gen non-Pro. I really don't see the point.
Even for dimensions and weight the 15" Air and 14" Pro will be fairly close. There are minor differences for sure, longer battery life on the Air for example. But I'd really rather take the overall better hardware of the 14". Especially being able to display HDR content properly has made a difference and I have started to experiment with filming in HDR myself as it's kinda crazy how good the footage ends up looking.
I see this mindset a lot, buying a house, buying a car, whatever it is. Always wondering if it's a good investment. I don't buy these things as investments, I look at what will last me the longest, likely have to pay a bit extra for that, which is why I paid the Apple tax on the M1 Max upgrade, but now I don't need to care how much this thing is worth now or in x years. It will last long enough that the cost over 5+ years really doesn't even matter anymore.
I can't be the only one who isn't excited for another brand new entry level device that has worse hardware than the Pro hardware from over a year ago. Similarly to how I would always pick the previous-gen iPhone Pro over the current-gen non-Pro. I really don't see the point.
Even for dimensions and weight the 15" Air and 14" Pro will be fairly close. There are minor differences for sure, longer battery life on the Air for example. But I'd really rather take the overall better hardware of the 14". Especially being able to display HDR content properly has made a difference and I have started to experiment with filming in HDR myself as it's kinda crazy how good the footage ends up looking.
That's a good thing though, as the hardware ages discounts are the logical conclusion. You still get the full performance you paid for initially. All tech seems a bad investment if we look at it like that - but we shouldn't buy Macbooks as an investment. What does it matter that your base model with a solid 16GiB and 500GB wouldn't sell well? In 3-5 years you'll still get a couple hundred bucks back anyways if you sell it eventually. You'll find a buyer for that base model without problems.
I see this mindset a lot, buying a house, buying a car, whatever it is. Always wondering if it's a good investment. I don't buy these things as investments, I look at what will last me the longest, likely have to pay a bit extra for that, which is why I paid the Apple tax on the M1 Max upgrade, but now I don't need to care how much this thing is worth now or in x years. It will last long enough that the cost over 5+ years really doesn't even matter anymore.
It will only impress if we don't look into the detail and only the screen size 😏
I keep wondering why it has to be a M3? Nothing has shipped with a M3, and if you start to have M2 MBA and M3 MBA it could get messy like the M1 Max/Ultra that could immediately be updated to a M2 Max, and not have to wait for another M2 Ultra. Like why produce Macs that give marketing a big headache?
It's about SoC availability and partially the fact that a 15.5" MBA could have a slightly larger battery to offset the display draws more energy. Yes going to larger MBA means slightly increased weight and slightly less battery run time.
Report: The 15-inch MacBook Air is ready to launch
Well-known analyst claims Apple ramped up production of its new laptop weeks ago.www.macworld.com
As you may recall, Apple announced last week that its Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off with a keynote address on June 5. And since it looks like Apple will not have a spring event this year, it’s a logical conclusion that Apple will unveil the 15-inch MacBook Air at WWDC, much like the M2 model last year.
However, Apple shipping the 15-inch MacBook Air sometime before WWDC seems more likely. As it has numerous times over the past several months, Apple could do a press release announcement for the laptop without tying it to an event, especially if it’s identical to the current model other than the larger display. Essentially, its announcement will be like that of the 10-generation iPad last October–a product that, while new and slightly different from previous models, doesn’t have major significant changes that warranted an unveiling at an event.
Also, the word is that Apple wants the WWDC keynote to spotlight the rumored headset. While there will be plenty of Mac talk during the keynote, if Apple were to reveal a new Mac at that time, it’s much more likely to be the Mac Pro.
Best guesses about the first M3 drops seems like October 2023. Which way do you think Apple will select?
I hope the section with bold text is correct. Waiting until WWDC to release another M2 seems a bit ridiculous.
The very least Apple can do is a sneak peak for the Mac Pro. It seems like they’re focusing on a new shiny object instead of getting other products updated first.
I’m looking at the M1 iMac, 2019 Mac Pro, and the Mac Studio.
There must have been a reason why u chose a Max chip? which throttles on the 14" and definitely will not be available on the 15".....so you made a wise choice IMO
So we’ve established price isn’t a problem because the prior Air I mentioned had more ports and was much cheaper. The issue is you believe an SD Card slot and a HDMI port is going to add, in your words “heft”. Is it really though? Just how much heft do you think it would add? Rather than trying to make the machine an arbitrary size of smallness, perhaps they should make it small and thin but also everyday practical. Many of us don’t need nor want a giant powerful MBP with a fan.
I don’t believe those two ports result in a great deal of heft added. I’ve being to a store and held an M2 Air and prefer by a long mile the wedge shape of my 2015 model. It’s easier to type with the low approach angle for my wrists and easier to pick up and carry my machine and its wedge form.
The only thing you've established, is that you're back peddling on your original post and you can't answer my question straight!
We've also established that you like the wedge shape, which is still available to buy new from Apple, it's very light & cheap also 🤣
Yes, I use my MBP principally for process modeling and simulation. Our typical models have 30-45 minute run times and 10-15 minute rendering times for charting results — so speed is critical particularly during collaborative sessions.
The simulation software is Windows-based and executes via Parallels. As a result, we need great CPU and GPU performance plus a good chunk of RAM.
The 16GB M1 Mac Mini worked well during the Pandemic, but as lockdown lifted we began traveling to meet onsite with clients — so I upgraded to the M1 Max MBP w 32G RAM + 10 CPU and 32 GPU cores. The performance is great and I love the machine — which confirms it is the best option for my use case.
But as stated before, the bulkiness is very evident to me when traveling so a lighter, less bulky option is desirable. The 15” Air seems like it could provide that desired option, but if it doesn’t I’ll continue to love my bulky, less than perfect but more than adequate 16” MBP.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Man, I would've jumped on the 15" version if it'd been released when I bought my M2 MBA.
But I'm STILL so freakin' happy with this machine's capabilities, power, battery, weight, and dimensions that I'm glad I didn't wait and took the plunge.
The M2 MBA 13" is iPad Pro-level portable. Only Pro-Motion (I don't really miss it) and a port on the other side would've made it perfect.
As it is, it is still the best Mac I've ever had.
But I'm STILL so freakin' happy with this machine's capabilities, power, battery, weight, and dimensions that I'm glad I didn't wait and took the plunge.
The M2 MBA 13" is iPad Pro-level portable. Only Pro-Motion (I don't really miss it) and a port on the other side would've made it perfect.
As it is, it is still the best Mac I've ever had.
iPadOS / iOS with their rage inducing, crippling restrictions and app store lockdown are a *hard no* for me.
What a lot of people want is exactly a larger MBA. It doesn’t need to be anything more or less. Just the same but bigger.
It’s too soon in the product cycle for any major design changes.
I might be looking for a laptop to replace my iPad Pro when it stops being useful, so sometime over the next three years. Its really a question of whats best on the couch and in bed, doing a little surfing and emailing. Not decided yet whether I want a 13” or a 15” screen, portability and battery life are what I will be prioritising.
Are there any signs of 13" Air is also gonna be updated? If not then it would be strange Ais would have different chips.
Anyway it will be interesting. If M3 has rumored HW raytracing support it can happen it will beat M2Pro in Blender GPU render.
Assuming a 15” MBA comes with a newer SOC, I would expect the 13” to be updated at the same time or soon after.
It is possible the 15" model will not be part of the MacBook Air line, but instead have it's own designation (perhaps just "MacBook") which would then decouple it from having to be in spec-lockstep with the 13" model.
We have also heard rumors the 13" Air will be going to OLED and if that is true, that would give additional reason for the 15" to not be a MacBook Air since every report says it will have the same full-array LED that the current 13" MacBook Air has.
If the 15" does launch as a MacBook Air with an M3, then yes, I fully expect the 13" model to see an M3 refresh at the same time.