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If there were a larger (15 or 16 inch) MacBook Air available, would you want it?


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F1 Fan

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
201
12
Germany
If there were a larger (15 or 16 inch) MacBook Air available with the same specs as the smaller MacBook Air, would you consider buying it instead of an existing machine?
 
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Not sure I'd buy any MacBook...but I'll say I can see value in both a smaller and a larger MacBook Air.

Years back, I liked the idea of the small MacBook Air (when they still made one)--it seemed like something that would be the ultimate balance of portable and something that could actually be used (no strange itsy bitsy keyboard, like so many netbooks had).

But a larger size is also appealing. I, personally, don't really need much portability at the moment--but a larger laptop could be a nice primary computer that stays mainly on a desk, but can be taken if I need to take it someplace.

As for MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro--I don't need the power of the Pro. And one thing I like about the current Air is that there is no fan, giving perfectly silent operation. Something, now that I think of it, I haven't had since I used the school computer lab Apple II series computers in the 1980s.
 
One other thought... Part of me thinks a nice approach might be if the MacBook name was brought back as it was originally used--the entry point model. That could be configured with a bigger screen option (unlike the old days). Then the MacBook Air could be small, ultraportable laptops.
 
One other thought... Part of me thinks a nice approach might be if the MacBook name was brought back as it was originally used--the entry point model. That could be configured with a bigger screen option (unlike the old days). Then the MacBook Air could be small, ultraportable laptops.

I fully agree that that is how it should be.

However, considering how the iPad Air is positioned it seems that "Air" now means "mid-to-high-end" rather than "small, light and ultraportable".
 
There used to be a 12” and 14” iBook.

There used to be an 11.6” and 13.3” MacBook Air.

Personally, I think they should make Mini-LED versions of the MBA, with the same screen sizes as the iPad Pros. ??‍♂ Obviously the MBA screens wouldn’t have the touch layer.
 
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Like to see them bring out a 12-13”, 2-pound, M2 MacBook Air a la 12” Retina MacBook! It would likely have over 20-hour battery life. Multiple colors would be icing on the cake.

However, rumors are they’ve going to drop the tapered from edge — that’s bad — and add a notch to the screen, ruining the aesthetics and clean lines of the display. Dropping the taper loses a key design element that made the “Air” so special!
 
Like to see them bring out a 12-13”, 2-pound, M2 MacBook Air a la 12” Retina MacBook! It would likely have over 20-hour battery life. Multiple colors would be icing on the cake.

However, rumors are they’ve going to drop the tapered from edge — that’s bad — and add a notch to the screen, ruining the aesthetics and clean lines of the display. Dropping the taper loses a key design element that made the “Air” so special!
Without the taper, they could probably stuff more battery volume into it. Whether they actually do that or not is something we'll have to wait for, I suppose.

But a 12" retina MacBook-like MBA would be my dream machine. Gotta keep two ports, though. One isn't enough, even with a MagSafe charge port.
 
One other thought... Part of me thinks a nice approach might be if the MacBook name was brought back as it was originally used--the entry point model. That could be configured with a bigger screen option (unlike the old days). Then the MacBook Air could be small, ultraportable laptops.
Definitely. An entry-level 13" and 15" MacBook (for those who simply want a bigger display without spending $2800 on a 16" MBP), a super-sleek 12.x" MacBook Air (like how the first MacBook Air was one super-light model), and the MacBook Pro line.
 
Not personally, because I like to pretend that I'd need extra power of a M1 Pro (and I'm probably after a desktop at the moment), but in the past I've known plenty of colleagues for whom a larger-screened Air would be ideal, but I've had to recommend expensive 15" MBPs with powerful CPUs and GPUs when all they needed was a larger screen for what was essential small-scale DTP work. It's not a new thing - it's been an issue since they dropped the 15" non-retina MBP (in ~2013 I think) - not that the retina MBPs weren't beautiful.

Heck - not just for WP/DTP - an awful lot of development doesn't really need 10 CPU cores and a killer GPU these days, just plenty of screen real estate... and, as the 24" iMac shows, the M1 is quite capable of driving a decent sized high-res screen.

I think the 13" Air is the sweet spot for actual on the road "mobile" use, but many people just want a laptop for "commuting" between desks, and even the modern 16" is still ridiculously portable.
 
I'm perfectly happy using my Early 2015 11-inch i7/8GB Air and it supports Monterey OS12 and I'm okay with it's performance.... I also love that it is feather light :)
 
Definately. M1 and it‘s future iterations is more than enough for my needs so I neither need nor want to spend huge $$$ for Pros. I would love 14 inch, 15 inch even more, 16 inch the most of all. And what I think Apple might try to do is to unify it with iPad line: 12’ sleek MacBook, 14’ MacBook Air, 14 and 16 Macbook Pro.

And I was thinking about it in the past many times and yet every lineup (macs, iPhones, iPads) is a bit different, so not much hope for that change and unification.

My perfect laptop would be fan-less thin 16’ MacBook Air with miniled screen, no notch, 3 nm process chip, IO the same as it is now. Throw in 16 gb of RAM, 1 TB storage and I’m in.
 
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I'd buy a 14" one if they shrunk the bezels such that it wasn't much bigger than my current 13" MBA, and they kept the weight pretty much the same. Otherwise, no.
 
they should definitely make a 15/16" air, people shouldn't have to pay for all the internals of a pro just for that sized screen.
 
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I've used a 15 inch MPB for years and the only reason for the Pro is the screen size. 13" is just a little too small. 14" or 15", sure I'd consider one.
 
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I want a considerably smaller MacBook Air actually. Make one 12" MacBook size with a decent keyboard, 2 ports and M1 or better performance and it'd be the final evolution of the MacBook as far as I'm concerned.

I do think Apple needs to split the laptop lineup some, since the general laptop and extreme portability aren't for exactly the same user. I'd probably turn the MacBook Air into two sizes again, a 12" and 14" seems like a natural fit right now.

I don't understand how Apple justifies the iPad mini existence(and slow but constant updates) and not consider these other slightly niche Apple products.
 
I want a considerably smaller MacBook Air actually. Make one 12" MacBook size with a decent keyboard, 2 ports and M1 or better performance and it'd be the final evolution of the MacBook as far as I'm concerned.
Yup.

IMG_3870.jpeg


2014 iPad Air 2
2017 iPad Pro 10.5" with Smart Keyboard
2017 12" MacBook
2015 13" MacBook Pro
2017 13" MacBook Air
2009 13" MacBook Pro
2008 13" MacBook

The 2017 12" MacBook measures 28.05 x 19.65 cm <-- I love this size. So light and portable, it's a pleasure to use in the cramped cheap seats on the plane.
The 2017 13" MacBook Air measures 32.5 x 22.7 cm <-- Too big
The 2020 13" MacBook Air measures 30.4 x 21.2 cm <-- Much better than the 2017 Air but still too big
The 2015 13" MacBook Pro measures 31.4 x 21.9 cm <-- Better than the 2017 Air but still too big
The 2021 14" MacBook Pro measures 31.3 x 22.1 cm <-- Better than the 2017 Air but still too big

The 14" MacBook has a pixel density conveniently at 100 pixels per cm. It is 3024 pixels, meaning it is 30.2 cm wide. Given that the laptop is 31.3 cm wide, that means the bezel size combining the right and left together is 1.1 cm.

If we extrapolate to a 12" MacBook at 28.05 cm, that mean it could fit a 26.95 cm screen in there, or 2695 pixels wide. If we presume a notched 16:10 + 70 vertical pixel screen, and make the width a multiple of 16, that works out to 2688 x 1750 pixels = 32.07 cm or 12.6 inches.

IOW, Apple could fit a 12.6" 2688x1750 screen in the width of the 12" MacBook, which would be a totally awesome fanless machine, at least if it had at least two USB 4 ports, scissor keyboard, and stronger trackpad. They could just call it another Air. People who want the bigger screen more than 14” will need to go to the 16” Pro.

It would make for a good range of models: 12" + 14" Air, plus 14" + 16" Pro. I don't expect the 12" to see the light of day though. :(
 
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