So do you think this "12in" MBA possibility might almost replace the current 13in MBA, with some creative work done on the screen bevel etc ? That would interest me as the current 11in is too small but the current 13in is ideal.
I think so.
Let's do some math (the dimensions were taken from Apple's website; the screen size was calculated based on the diagonal size and the aspect ratio; and the total bezel size was calculated doing simple math: dimensions minus screen size):
Current 11-inch MacBook Air:
dimensions: 11.8 (W) x 7.56 (H)
screen size: 10.11 (W) x 5.68 (H)
bezel: 1.69 (W) x 1.88 (H)
Current 13-inch MacBook Air:
dimensions: 12.8 (W) x 8.94 (H)
screen size: 11.27 (W) x 7.05 (H)
bezel: 1.53 (W) x 1.89 (H)
13-inch MacBook Pro (non-retina)
dimensions: 12.78 (W) x 8.94 (H)
screen size: 11.27 (W) x 7.05 (H)
bezel: 1.51 (W) x 1.89 (H)
15-inch MacBook Pro (non-retina)
dimensions: 14.35 (W) x 9.82 (H)
screen size: 13.06 (W) x 8.16 (H)
bezel: 1.29 (W) x 1.66 (H)
13-inch retina MacBook Pro:
dimensions: 12.35 (W) x 8.62 (H)
screen size: 11.27 (W) x 7.05 (H)
bezel: 1.08 (W) x 1.57 (H)
15-inch retina MacBook Pro:
dimensions: 14.13 (W) x 9.73 (H)
screen size: 13.06 (W) x 8.16 (H)
bezel: 1.07 (W) x 1.57 (H)
If you look above, you'll see something interesting. The bezel size of the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro (non-retina) is very similar. The non-retina 15-inch MacBook Pro had a smaller bezel, although somewhat smaller. Perhaps the larger bezel of the 13-inch models was due to the need to accomodate internals.
The 11-inch MacBook Air has a larger bezel than the 13-inch Air (and non-retina Pro). As the screen is smaller, the bezel looks even larger. In height, the bezel is nearly the same. But in width, the bezel is significantly larger, probably to accomodate the full-sized keyboard. You can also notice that the 11-inch MacBook Air is larger than the screen of the 13-inch Air; so, at least in theory, the current form factor of the 11-inch Air could accomodate the 13-inch 16:10 screen of the larger Air. In this case, the bezel would be very reduced and there could be no room for a webcam, for instance.
If you look at the new Pro models, you'll see that Apple managed to reduce the size of the bezel. Both the 13-inch and the 15-inch have a similar bezel, and it is much smaller than the ones in the previous Pro and in the current Air.
So, we should all expect a reduced bezel in the next MacBook Air. By how much?
Let's assume Apple uses a 12-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. In this case, the display would have 10.17 (W) x 6.36 (H). Let's also assume that the full Apple keyboard has 11.02 inches (I couldn't find this measure on the web, so I measured the keyboard of my Mac, and I'm using it for reference). So, the minimum width of any MacBook Air using a full-sized keyboard would be 11.02 inches, regardless of the screen size. Let's give some additional comfort and allow a little more space for the keyboard to be included, and in a way to keep the same bezel size as the current retina Pros (1.07 or 1.08 inches in width). More: let's assume, for this simulation, that the size of the current Pro bezels are the minimum bezel sizes in any Apple laptop, given current technological limitations. Then, if Apple uses the 12-inch display, then the dimensions could be like this:
dimensions: 11.25 (W) x 7.93 (H)
screen size: 10.17 (W) x 6.36 (H)
bezel: 1.08 (W) x 1.57 (H)
So, the new Air could have 11.25 x 7.93 inches, which is narrower but taller than the current 11-inch Air (11.8 x 7.56). Both laptops, however, would occupy the same area (the simulated 12-inch Air has 89.215 square inches, and the current 11-inch Air has 89.208 inches), although one is narrower and taller than the other. However, the screen area of the 12-inch Pro would be 64.68 square inches, roughly 12.5% larger then the 57.42 square inches of the screen of current 11-inch Air.
So, the next Air could have a 12-inch screen and still be basically the same size as the current 11-inch Air, only a little narrower and taller.
And what about the weight? Well, that would be a very tough guess. But let’s do some math as well.
The 13-inch Air is 28.28% larger (in area) than the 11-inch Air, and 24.37% heavier. The 15-inch Pro is 29.15% larger (in area) than the 13-inch Pro, and 28.9% heavier. If the 12-inch Air follows the same weight distribution, based on the area, than the current Airs, then it would have basically the same 2.38 lbs of the current 11-inch Air, as they have both a very similar area. But if the ratio weight/area then the new Pros, which better use the dimensions, then it would weigh about 2.9 lbs, which is roughly the same weight of the 13-inch Air. I don’t expect the 12-inch Air to be as bulky as the retina Pros, though.
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They should keep the same, or similar dimensions of the 11" MBA but decrease the bezel significantly. I haven't measured anything, but if you significantly reduced the bezel you could fit almost a 13" in there
Take a look at my latest post.
