In a December 2022 note to clients — as noted by 9to5Mac — analyst Ross Young said that production of a 15-inch MacBook Air will start in the first quarter of 2023 with the laptop possibly shipping in the spring. The question is, “Why?”
This isn’t the first rumor of a biggie-sized MacBook Air. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicted this and more in a September 2022 Power On newsletter. And in March, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said a new 15-inch MacBook Air would arrive next year, but he does’t think it will be dubbed a MacBook Air.
Whatever it’s dubbed, it’s not needed and will only make Apple’s Mac line-up more confusing. Currently, you can get the MacBook Air in 13.3 inch and 13.5 inch sizes. You can get a MacBook Pro in 13.3, 14.2, and 16.2 inches.
I would think that most Air users want the laptop for its easy portability. Increasing the size would compromise this to some degree. If anything, I would think a 12-inch MacBook Air would be more popular than a 15-incher.
In fact, as I’ve said before, Apple’s product roadmap has become too confusing. I’d like to see the company’s Mac laptop line-up simplified to: 12.2-inch MacBook Air, 13.6-inch MacBook Air, 14.2-inch MacBook Pro, and 16.2-inch MacBook Pro.
Seems to me such a line-up would accommodate the needs of most Mac laptop users.
I’ve lost count of the number of friends/colleagues/students that would have bought a MacBook if they could gotten a larger-sized one without having to spend over $2500. These folks all bought windows machines because they needed a display larger than 13”. Apple has been leaving a ton of money on the table, and A 15” MBA would plug this gaping hole in their lineup.
I can’t wait to replace my 15” 2015 MacBook Pro with a lighter and more compact 15” MacBook Air. If I can squeak by with my current machine, the new Air (or whatever it will be called) should have plenty of power for running the Affinity suite and some light audio tracking and editing in MOTU Digital Performer, with a large enough display to make graphic design work practical.
Nope. I think 15 air would be much more popular than 12.2 inch air.
Unfortunately, most market research disagrees with your opinion. The laptops with +15 inch has more than 50% market share (in 2019) while under laptops with displays under 13 inch has only 15% market share (see grandview research). And the trend is larger screen sizes with thinner profiles.
If priced right 15 air could be Apple’s most successful laptop ever.
A 15″ MBA? Bring it on! I’d love to have one of those. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t need a high speed processor or every port imaginable on my laptop – but I like to watch movies and having to choose between a smaller screen or front up an extra thousand dollars (Australia) for an extra inch makes it a rough decision. I would be very happy for a 15″ MBA without a huge price tag.