Apple Silicon is why 15-inch MacBook Air was possible at all

AppleInsider · June 30, 2023 6:16PM

Apple executives recently shared insights on the development of the 15-inch MacBook Air, which was designed to meet the needs of both consumers and enterprise users.

15-inch MacBook Air

During WWDC 2023, Apple unveiled the much-awaited 15-inch MacBook Air. It boasts similar features to the 13-inch MacBook Air, such as the impressive M2 chip, but stands out with its noticeably larger display.

Senior Product Manager Laura Metz and Enterprise IT Marketing Manager Thomas Tan sat down with Inc. to discuss how the 15-inch MacBook Air came to be.

The Cupertino-based tech giant wasn't trying to introduce a wholly new product when making the 15-inch MacBook Air. Instead, it wanted to help fill a gap in the market it had found and -- thanks to Apple Silicon -- it could.

"When we set out, we wanted to make a 15-inch MacBook Air," said Metz. "But when you think of what the designs looked like previously, it just didn't work. It just did not say 'Air' to us. It was only with Apple silicon where we were able to have all the right components to bring that larger display along with the battery life and performance that users would expect from a MacBook Air."

So, with the introduction of Apple Silicon, the company could provide a powerful yet portable laptop that could meet -- and even exceed -- the needs of the average consumer.

"We knew there were users that wanted more screen real estate, but did not need the additional capabilities and performance of the 14 or 16-inch MacBook Pro," said Metz.

But, as it turns out, it's not just consumers who are interested in 15-inch laptops; many enterprise clients are also seeking out laptops that fit this bill.

"We also know that the 15-inch PC Laptop market is significant--that carries over into the enterprise space as well, where users are interested in having that larger display."

With the introduction of a larger screen, coupled with Apple's powerful M2 chip, many businesses have decided to opt into the Mac ecosystem.

"Apple Silicon suddenly made MacBook Air that much more capable for business use," Tan told Inc.

"So we're certainly seeing a lot of customers making that wholesale switch that otherwise we wouldn't have seen before. We're seeing customers in retail industries, adopting MacBook Air, for everyday use, we're seeing that in manufacturing, and we're seeing that in healthcare. So we think Apple Silicon has broadened the appeal to enterprise customers by a significant margin."

AppleInsider took a look at the new 15-inch MacBook Air and found it a fantastic balance of portability, power, and size.

Read on AppleInsider

rezwits · June 30, 2023 6:59PM

I would say the super THICK 16-inch MBP is the reason why the 15-inch MacBook Air was possible, really...

eriamjh · June 30, 2023 7:48PM

I interpret “But when you think of what the designs looked like previously, it just didn't work” as meaning “we had to beef up the metal to keep it from bending and folding like a piece of tin foil and then it was too heavy once you added the battery to get decent life and performance”.

It wasn’t an Air anymore.

maltz · June 30, 2023 8:12PM

I'd really like to hear some technical elaboration on how Apple Silicon helps to make a BIGGER laptop with less space constraint. It's going the other direction that's hard.

tht · June 30, 2023 9:40PM

maltz said:

I'd really like to hear some technical elaboration on how Apple Silicon helps to make a BIGGER laptop with less space constraint. It's going the other direction that's hard.

For Apple, it only means that Apple Silicon allowed them to build a 15” metal laptop that is 0.45” thick, 3.3 lb with a runtime of 18 hrs, and with good all around compute performance.

You can build an x86 laptop to some of what Apple wants, but what is missed is really important to Apple. LG has their Gram series which is thin and light, but it’s plastic, is more flexible, less runtime, etc. Some people are fine with what LG offers, so, perfectly fine.

Apple’s pricing typically means the device and service has to be better than others. It’s part of the art of product design. They think the MBA15, as an object and a device, is good enough to command its pricing. Apple silicon is part of the whole amalgam that contributes to this.

thadec · July 1, 2023 4:00AM

tht said:

maltz said:

I'd really like to hear some technical elaboration on how Apple Silicon helps to make a BIGGER laptop with less space constraint. It's going the other direction that's hard.

For Apple, it only means that Apple Silicon allowed them to build a 15” metal laptop that is 0.45” thick, 3.3 lb with a runtime of 18 hrs, and with good all around compute performance.

You can build an x86 laptop to some of what Apple wants, but what is missed is really important to Apple. LG has their Gram series which is thin and light, but it’s plastic, is more flexible, less runtime, etc. Some people are fine with what LG offers, so, perfectly fine.

Apple’s pricing typically means the device and service has to be better than others. It’s part of the art of product design. They think the MBA15, as an object and a device, is good enough to command its pricing. Apple silicon is part of the whole amalgam that contributes to this.

Not just the LG Gram 17 (a 17" laptop) but the Samsung Galaxy Book Windows laptops also. But to clarify: it isn't Apple Silicon that makes this possible. It is the TSMC foundry. It is why Apple Silicon is on 5nm where Intel was on 14nm when Apple Silicon launched and is still on 10nm. Meteor Lake devices - which arrive in 4Q 2023 - will be 7nm, have substantially improved efficiency cores and integrated GPUs and will have an integrated NPU. Said efficiency cores perform better than the performance cores in the $999 2018 MacBook Air. The iGPUs are going to outperform the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, which means they will outperform the M1's iGPU. https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/16/m1-beats-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-and-radeon-rx-560/ Intel's plans for their integrated GPUs and NPUs are here: https://wccftech.com/intel-wants-to-bring-path-tracing-affordable-gpus-igpus-real-time-neural-rendering and are going to basically kill off the cheap discrete GPU market.

Meteor Lake is going to challenge a lot of narratives. Most of it was Apple marketing, but the tech media that repeated it as objective truth will have egg on their faces.

FileMakerFeller · July 1, 2023 4:18AM

thadec said:

tht said:

maltz said:

I'd really like to hear some technical elaboration on how Apple Silicon helps to make a BIGGER laptop with less space constraint. It's going the other direction that's hard.

For Apple, it only means that Apple Silicon allowed them to build a 15” metal laptop that is 0.45” thick, 3.3 lb with a runtime of 18 hrs, and with good all around compute performance.

You can build an x86 laptop to some of what Apple wants, but what is missed is really important to Apple. LG has their Gram series which is thin and light, but it’s plastic, is more flexible, less runtime, etc. Some people are fine with what LG offers, so, perfectly fine.

Apple’s pricing typically means the device and service has to be better than others. It’s part of the art of product design. They think the MBA15, as an object and a device, is good enough to command its pricing. Apple silicon is part of the whole amalgam that contributes to this.

Not just the LG Gram 17 (a 17" laptop) but the Samsung Galaxy Book Windows laptops also. But to clarify: it isn't Apple Silicon that makes this possible. It is the TSMC foundry. It is why Apple Silicon is on 5nm where Intel was on 14nm when Apple Silicon launched and is still on 10nm. Meteor Lake devices - which arrive in 4Q 2023 - will be 7nm, have substantially improved efficiency cores and integrated GPUs and will have an integrated NPU. Said efficiency cores perform better than the performance cores in the $999 2018 MacBook Air. The iGPUs are going to outperform the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, which means they will outperform the M1's iGPU. https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/16/m1-beats-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-and-radeon-rx-560/ Intel's plans for their integrated GPUs and NPUs are here: https://wccftech.com/intel-wants-to-bring-path-tracing-affordable-gpus-igpus-real-time-neural-rendering and are going to basically kill off the cheap discrete GPU market.

Meteor Lake is going to challenge a lot of narratives. Most of it was Apple marketing, but the tech media that repeated it as objective truth will have egg on their faces.

Funny how future products from competitors always trump shipping products from Apple. And even if these claims bear out, Q4 2023 is three years late to the party when compared to the M1. Plus we don't know what the TDP is for maximum performance of these new chips. Are we going to have a repeat of the melting CPU issue that has plagued AMD's latest?

Fidonet127 · July 1, 2023 11:04AM

thadec said:

tht said:

maltz said:

I'd really like to hear some technical elaboration on how Apple Silicon helps to make a BIGGER laptop with less space constraint. It's going the other direction that's hard.

For Apple, it only means that Apple Silicon allowed them to build a 15” metal laptop that is 0.45” thick, 3.3 lb with a runtime of 18 hrs, and with good all around compute performance.

You can build an x86 laptop to some of what Apple wants, but what is missed is really important to Apple. LG has their Gram series which is thin and light, but it’s plastic, is more flexible, less runtime, etc. Some people are fine with what LG offers, so, perfectly fine.

Apple’s pricing typically means the device and service has to be better than others. It’s part of the art of product design. They think the MBA15, as an object and a device, is good enough to command its pricing. Apple silicon is part of the whole amalgam that contributes to this.

Not just the LG Gram 17 (a 17" laptop) but the Samsung Galaxy Book Windows laptops also. But to clarify: it isn't Apple Silicon that makes this possible. It is the TSMC foundry. It is why Apple Silicon is on 5nm where Intel was on 14nm when Apple Silicon launched and is still on 10nm. Meteor Lake devices - which arrive in 4Q 2023 - will be 7nm, have substantially improved efficiency cores and integrated GPUs and will have an integrated NPU. Said efficiency cores perform better than the performance cores in the $999 2018 MacBook Air. The iGPUs are going to outperform the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, which means they will outperform the M1's iGPU. https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/16/m1-beats-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-and-radeon-rx-560/ Intel's plans for their integrated GPUs and NPUs are here: https://wccftech.com/intel-wants-to-bring-path-tracing-affordable-gpus-igpus-real-time-neural-rendering and are going to basically kill off the cheap discrete GPU market.

Meteor Lake is going to challenge a lot of narratives. Most of it was Apple marketing, but the tech media that repeated it as objective truth will have egg on their faces.

It is both Apple Silicon and the foundry. It isn't like Apple can take Intel's chips and have TSMC produce them. Even if Apple could take Intel's chips and produce them at TSMC, they still wouldn't have as good as efficiency, nor the specialized functions of ASi. None of the other GPUs matter, as they are not usable with Mac OS. Intel CPUs don't matter to those who use Mac OS.

jdw · July 1, 2023 12:54PM

rezwits said:

I would say the super THICK 16-inch MBP is the reason why the 15-inch MacBook Air was possible, really...

LOL. I am typing this on my NOT-THICK-AT-ALL M1 Max 16" MBP. Across the table from me is an old vintage PowerBook Wallstreet from the 1990's. I suppose one could call THAT one "super thick" but even that doesn't hold a candle to the original Macintosh Portable.

Back when I was in engineering school from '89~'94, I had my backpack filled with very thick and heavy books, one of which alone could best my existing 16" MBP many times over. So I have no sympathy or understanding for people who think even the 16" MBP is thick, large and heavy. It's not at all. I suppose that means others are wimps and I am therefore a macho man; but let me tell you, I'm no Arnold Schwarzenegger. And yet I can carry around a 16" MBP with ease. It's nothing. Heck, back in the early days, people totted compact Macs like the 128K. I have one, and its original Apple branded tote bag too.

At the end of the day, I am NOT jealous of a thinner and less powerful notebook, especially since a 15" screen is SMALLER than my lovely 16" too. I do a lot of video editing and can use all the CPU and GPU power available to me. I have the 2TB SSD, and that is absolutely the right size to get, despite the high prices Apple charges for storage. I LOVE the fact I can get so much power in such a THIN machine, one that also runs rather cool too, not to mention being very quiet. And because it's not a baseline Mac that cut corners on specs and performance, it will last me a long time before I begin to feel the urge to upgrade.

I suggest that people ignore the conventional wisdom, save your money and buy something a bit larger, spec-filled, and more expensive than you feel you need. A couple years after purchase, you'll thank me. Yep, even for the added muscle mass you'll have due to carrying around a modestly heavier, yet significantly better, machine.

blastdoor · July 1, 2023 3:51PM

FileMakerFeller said:

thadec said:

tht said:

maltz said:

I'd really like to hear some technical elaboration on how Apple Silicon helps to make a BIGGER laptop with less space constraint. It's going the other direction that's hard.

For Apple, it only means that Apple Silicon allowed them to build a 15” metal laptop that is 0.45” thick, 3.3 lb with a runtime of 18 hrs, and with good all around compute performance.

You can build an x86 laptop to some of what Apple wants, but what is missed is really important to Apple. LG has their Gram series which is thin and light, but it’s plastic, is more flexible, less runtime, etc. Some people are fine with what LG offers, so, perfectly fine.

Apple’s pricing typically means the device and service has to be better than others. It’s part of the art of product design. They think the MBA15, as an object and a device, is good enough to command its pricing. Apple silicon is part of the whole amalgam that contributes to this.

Not just the LG Gram 17 (a 17" laptop) but the Samsung Galaxy Book Windows laptops also. But to clarify: it isn't Apple Silicon that makes this possible. It is the TSMC foundry. It is why Apple Silicon is on 5nm where Intel was on 14nm when Apple Silicon launched and is still on 10nm. Meteor Lake devices - which arrive in 4Q 2023 - will be 7nm, have substantially improved efficiency cores and integrated GPUs and will have an integrated NPU. Said efficiency cores perform better than the performance cores in the $999 2018 MacBook Air. The iGPUs are going to outperform the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, which means they will outperform the M1's iGPU. https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/16/m1-beats-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-and-radeon-rx-560/ Intel's plans for their integrated GPUs and NPUs are here: https://wccftech.com/intel-wants-to-bring-path-tracing-affordable-gpus-igpus-real-time-neural-rendering and are going to basically kill off the cheap discrete GPU market.

Meteor Lake is going to challenge a lot of narratives. Most of it was Apple marketing, but the tech media that repeated it as objective truth will have egg on their faces.

Funny how future products from competitors always trump shipping products from Apple. And even if these claims bear out, Q4 2023 is three years late to the party when compared to the M1. Plus we don't know what the TDP is for maximum performance of these new chips. Are we going to have a repeat of the melting CPU issue that has plagued AMD's latest?

Indeed. Meteor Lake will likely be competing against M3, not M1.

timmillea · July 2, 2023 8:13AM

I am hoping the forthcoming 3nM Apple M3 will make an 11-inch MBA with 16hrs+ battery life viable.

kdupuis77 · July 2, 2023 9:24AM

I "downgraded" from a 16" M1 MacBook Pro to the M2 14" for enhanced portability and all (Plus a good friend of mine has been wanting the 16" beast for his photo work for a long time, so he got a good deal on mine and I got more than Apple gives on trade-ins). Anyhow, My 14" is in the mail when WWDC hits and I get the new product lust and order a 15" MacBook Air. Well, after a few days playing with both, realized I really do not need the immense power of the Pro and mostly wanted the larger screen honestly. The ProMotion was very nice, but I am overall quite satisfied with the new 15" Air and was happy to pocket the $700 savings. I kept the base model as I always get the upgrade bug every couple of years, I will take less of a bath on trade-in or re-sale value in the future and the 8/256 config is just about good enough for my usage.

I have to say, I am absolutely loving this puppy! My brain thinks of it more like the 15" MacBook Pro we have always wanted! Great keyboard, excellent sound, still a beautiful screen, 3x the battery life and less weight/bulk altogether a great package for the $1199 + Free $150 Apple Gift Card on offer at the EDU store right now!

xyzzy01 · July 2, 2023 11:09AM

This is just marketing hyperbole.

Apple made the 13 inch Macbook Air for many years, and the new 15 inch MBA has the same chip/performance as the 13 inch. There's more room for battery, and more surface area for cooling than on the 13 inch.

Sure, the Apple Silicon makes it better in some aspects than an x86-laptop, but that applied equally to the 13 inch. The real reason there was no 15 inch Macbook Air is because Apple didn't want to make one. This, in turn, would be based on sales estimates vs lower sales of the MBP as some customers would prefer the MBA.

Stabitha_Christie · July 2, 2023 2:05PM

xyzzy01 said:

This is just marketing hyperbole.

Apple made the 13 inch Macbook Air for many years, and the new 15 inch MBA has the same chip/performance as the 13 inch. There's more room for battery, and more surface area for cooling than on the 13 inch.

Sure, the Apple Silicon makes it better in some aspects than an x86-laptop, but that applied equally to the 13 inch. The real reason there was no 15 inch Macbook Air is because Apple didn't want to make one. This, in turn, would be based on sales estimates vs lower sales of the MBP as some customers would prefer the MBA.

Yes, Apple could have made a garbage 15 inch MacBook Air but the choose not to .You are so close to getting it.

docno42 · July 6, 2023 9:17PM

I ordered a maxed out 15” Air - and I really, really wanted to keep it - the size and more importantly, weight, are outstanding. But I have had my 16”MBP for a little over a year and the difference on screen quality and audio quality were just too great. The audio different is quite dramatic - with the MBP you get a spacial audio effect that is amazing and the air just can’t hold a candle to it. But what was more surprising was the screen - I found my over 40 eyes were a lot more fatigued if I used the air continuously vs the MBP.

Don’t get me wrong - they are both fantastic computers and if I hadn’t had the MBP first I’d still probably have the Air, but the quality differences were too great to negate the size and weight differences - so it went back in the two week return window and am still flying the 16” MBP.

docno42 · July 6, 2023 9:19PM

Stabitha_Christie said:

xyzzy01 said:

This is just marketing hyperbole.

Apple made the 13 inch Macbook Air for many years, and the new 15 inch MBA has the same chip/performance as the 13 inch. There's more room for battery, and more surface area for cooling than on the 13 inch.

Sure, the Apple Silicon makes it better in some aspects than an x86-laptop, but that applied equally to the 13 inch. The real reason there was no 15 inch Macbook Air is because Apple didn't want to make one. This, in turn, would be based on sales estimates vs lower sales of the MBP as some customers would prefer the MBA.

Yes, Apple could have made a garbage 15 inch MacBook Air but the choose not to .You are so close to getting it.

They could have made a quality 15” air long before now - as he points out they just didn’t want to. I’m glad they finally did - it’s way past time for them to have a larger screen in the non-pro end of things.

Apple Silicon is why 15-inch MacBook Air was possible at all

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