After the launch at the start of the year of the Macbook Air redesigned with a 13.6-inch screen and M2 processor inside, we have learned from various sources that Apple may be working on developing a new model with a larger screen size.
In concrete terms, this is a project with a long history behind it since, as the documentation used in the legal battle between Apple and Epic GamesSteve Jobs hinted at the possible arrival of a 15-inch MacBook Air in 2007, before the final release of the 13-inch MacBook Air in 2008.
15-inch MacBook Air: What’s new?
Rumors come from a variety of sources and not just from an analyst or a visionary as often happens.
In June 2022, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman announced that Apple might launch a 15-inch Macbook Air in the spring of 2023. The visionary suggested that Apple originally planned to launch the larger Air in 2022, but that could be delayed until 2023. .
New story: Apple is planning a 15-inch MacBook Air for next year, MacBook Pro M2 Pro/Max for late this year or early next year, and is also working on a new 12-inch laptop. https://t.co/0nLpAj3gmB
—Mark Gurman (@markgurman)
June 9, 2022
It wasn’t the first time Gurman had predicted such a move, as he also wrote in January 2021 that Apple had explored the idea of releasing a 15-inch MacBook Air.
Gurman cites that Apple wants to introduce this new model to increase its percentage of laptop sales, increasing family and price range, with more options for end consumers.
In March 2022, a quarterly Advanced Computer Display Technology and Shipments report from Display Supply Chain Consultants also suggested that Apple was working to bring a MacBook Air laptop to market with a larger screen.
DSCC CEO Ross Young said the new 15-inch model will be a variant of the MacBook Air and not a replacement for the current model.
Forecast updates:
1. The new 15″ MacBook would go into mass production in the middle of 1H23, and the launch date could be 2Q23 or later.
2. The new 15″ MacBook can offer two processor options, M2 (with 35W adapter) and M2 Pro (with 67W adapter).
3. I haven’t heard of any 12-inch MacBook plans yet. https://t.co/zm09nMvG7R—Ming-Chi Kuo (@mingchikuo)
June 15, 2022
Following this report, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also tweeted references to a report on a 15-inch MacBook, indicating that this new model will arrive in 2023 and may feature an M2 Pro chip. Kuo, unlike Gurman and Young, does not refer to it as a MacBook Air, but rather calls it a MacBook.
15-inch MacBook Air: release date
Gurman suggests the new MacBook Air could have a spring 2023 launch. That could mean a March or April launch like the 24-inch iMac did in 2021, though a WWDC 2023 launch is more likely.
Kuo says 15-inch MacBooks will arrive in Q2 2023 or later. Ross Young only indicates that the new MacBook Air will arrive in 2023. With this avalanche of notices, everything seems to indicate that the launch will be next year and not before.
15-inch MacBook Air: price
To get an idea of how Apple will price the new 15-inch MacBook Air, the best we can do is look at the prices of Apple’s current line of Mac laptops.
- 13-inch MacBook Air M2: from $1,519 or MXN$29,999
- 13-inch MacBook Pro: from $1,619/$1,849 or MXN$32,499/MXN$37,999
- 14-inch MacBook Pro: from $2,249/$2,749 or MXN 52,999/MXN 66,499
- 16-inch MacBook Pro: from $2,749 or MXN$66,499
Based on these figures, the first challenge is to determine where the new equipment will be located in relation to the current models. Assuming the MacBook Air is fanless, it makes sense to introduce a 15-inch MacBook as a replacement for the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
If so, we would expect the price to be slightly higher than 13-inch MacBook Pro At the moment, therefore, we would be talking about a price of around $1,619 (32,499 MXN).
If it is a high-end model, it could reach the figure of 1,649 $, the price of the MacBook Air presented in 2008.
15-inch MacBook Air: design and display
When Apple first announced the MacBook Air in 2008, it was only available in a 13-inch model, although another 11-inch model was soon added in 2010 and discontinued in 2015. Therefore, offering two MacBook Air sizes would not be new.
It won’t be the first time Apple has sold a 15-inch laptop either. Apple introduced the popular 15-inch PowerBook in 2001 and the 15-inch MacBook Pro in 2006. Apple continued to sell a version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro until it was replaced by the 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019.
The latest 15-inch MacBook Pro model had a 15.4-inch screen and dimensions of 349.3mm 240.7mm x 15.5mm. A newer model would have smaller bezels, like the MacBook Air M2, so the dimensions will be better optimized.
For example, the MacBook Air M2 has a slightly larger 13.6-inch screen than the 13.3-inch screen of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air M1, but the dimensions are identical.
But Apple could build a smaller team. Analyst Ross Young, who was right to predict the Air’s 13.6-inch screen with M2, hinted in March 2022 that the screen of this new model will measure 15.2 inches.
It would be about a quarter-inch smaller than the 15-inch MacBook Pro and much smaller, probably measuring around 12.5-inches x 8.75-inches.
Along with smaller bezels, the new 15-inch screen will likely feature a notch and have a slimmer profile of less than half an inch. There have also been rumors that Apple may incorporate a pantalla mini LED in new models, expandable to iPad Pro.
However, these innovations such as the ProMotion mini-LED technology would be reserved for high-end MacBook Pro models.
Expect the 15-inch MacBook Air to launch in various colors beyond the usual silver and space gray. We haven’t heard any rumors about specific options, although a green version has been on the table in the past.
15-inch MacBook Air: Specifications
We don’t know much about the specs of this new laptop, but Kuo says Apple could offer two processor options: one option with the M2 and what would be the new processor, with the M2 Pro.
Currently, the M1 Pro is only offered in models 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Proalthough there are strong rumors that an M2 Pro Mac mini is coming this autumn.
If Kuo is right, it’s hard to believe the laptop will be a MacBook Air. An M2 Pro-equipped Air would require at least one fan for cooling, as is the case with high-end MacBook Pros, or substantial changes in thermal design.
It is therefore possible that Kuo is wrong, or that his source has confused the 15-inch MacBook Air with another type of laptop.
Regarding the rest of the specifications, the equipment would arrive with 256 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM in the most basic model, and options to expand RAM (16 or 32 GB) and storage to (512 GB or 1 TB ) .
It’s also likely to have a MagSafe charging port and two Thunderbolt 4 ports, as well as a 1080p FaceTime camera. The new MacBook Air would come with the AC adapter 35W from Apple with two USB ports.
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