Apple working on 15-inch MacBook Air, smaller 12-inch MacBook with M2

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  • Reply 21 of 32
    My main laptop now is a 14" MBP. I love it, but my previous laptops have been all MB Airs. Why did I change to a MBP? Well, I just wanted the larger screen. I use my laptop with no external display and every inch of screen real estate is valuable. I just use my laptop for Word and PDF editing along with YouTube and Netflix. My demands are more than met with a M1 MacBook Air, but I spent the extra cash just for the 1+" in screen size. I would love a 15" MB Air. It would be a dream laptop.

    I am peeved that Apple equates larger laptops with faster chips. Apple use to have a 12 (or was it 13") and 14" iBook. Ever since then, all larger laptops meant faster and more expensive chips.
    mr. hMplsP
  • Reply 22 of 32
    Finally. This was the most mind boggling elitist position that Apple held for so long: In a world where the average laptop price is $800 and the average screen size is 15 in, to require its customers to pay a minimum of $2500 to get a screen at least that size was infuriating and depressingly out of touch IMO. I predict their market share is going to grow significantly once the 15 in MBA is available, assuming it’s in line with the $1199 13.6 in, so, like, no more than $1499. 
    Japhey
  • Reply 23 of 32
    AI_liasAI_lias Posts: 434member
    15” MacBook Air sounds like such a good idea, that I expect Apple to have some kind of killjoy way of crippling it. Probably an entry level config of 8GB and 256 GB, one external display only, at a much higher entry level price, etc. Otherwise it would be too good to be true, letting us common plebeians non pros having a 15” screen. 
  • Reply 24 of 32
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    mindwaves said:
    My main laptop now is a 14" MBP. I love it, but my previous laptops have been all MB Airs. Why did I change to a MBP? Well, I just wanted the larger screen. I use my laptop with no external display and every inch of screen real estate is valuable. I just use my laptop for Word and PDF editing along with YouTube and Netflix. My demands are more than met with a M1 MacBook Air, but I spent the extra cash just for the 1+" in screen size. I would love a 15" MB Air. It would be a dream laptop.

    I am peeved that Apple equates larger laptops with faster chips. Apple use to have a 12 (or was it 13") and 14" iBook. Ever since then, all larger laptops meant faster and more expensive chips.
    This. The base M1 and M2 chips are more then enough power for your average user and I suspect there are a large number of people who simply want a larger screen. I'm in that category. I wanted/needed at least a 15" screen. My previous laptop was a 2016 15" MBP and I ended up getting a 16" MBP this year not because I need the power but because I need the screen real estate. A 15" MBA would have been perfect for me.
  • Reply 25 of 32
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    Honestly, only Macbook I am looking forward to upgrade to is 15" Macbook AIR. So, what we have in MAC laptop line ? 12",13.3",13.6",14.1",15",16.1". All bases covered.
  • Reply 26 of 32
    I guess the 15" Air always fell through the cracks so far - most people will be ok with 13" 

    But for me, when I got the 18" Pro M1, I really wanted a 15" MBA. 

    I need a large screen, I don't need any of the bells and whistles on the 16" - yes they are nice, but for me not worth the trade-off in price, battery usage, heat. The MBP is much better than previous laptops but Apple decided the mini LED screen must be in that laptop, and the mini-LED consumes a lot of battery and also gets hot. First Mac laptop I ever had where the display lid gets hot... to me, again, it's the wrong trade-off. A Pro XDR display is nice - but I don't need it. Screen on the MBA is just fine. 
  • Reply 27 of 32
    tht said:
    If Apple wants 15% PC unit share, I think they have no choice but to offer a lot more variety. The PC market is much less of a “widget” type market like the phone market is, where a few form factors covers virtually everyone. 

    Amen to that - good analysis. Would be nice if Apple covered all slots - doesn't need much more than a bit of creative engineering, building different size platforms kinda like car makers do. 

    I think if you max out the top level MacBook Pro you'll get to $6,000. It's meant for that purpose. Meaning it's a huge overkill for anyone wanting just a bigger screen than 13" but who would be perfectly fine with a base M1 MBA configuration. Which would be most people... the M1 is super fast, and I don't notice a difference between MBA and MBP16" in day to day work. Both are plenty fast for development work. 
  • Reply 28 of 32
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    At the 15" size, is it really a MacBook Air anymore? Yeah, it would probably be lighter than a 15" MacBook Pro (at least I hope), but how much lighter?
  • Reply 29 of 32
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    macxpress said:
    At the 15" size, is it really a MacBook Air anymore? Yeah, it would probably be lighter than a 15" MacBook Pro (at least I hope), but how much lighter?
    The Air is around 25% lighter than the smaller Pro so if it follows the same ratio (25% smaller battery), it would put the 15" Air around the same weight as the 14" Pro (3.5lbs). The 15" Pro was 4lbs, the 16" is 4.7lbs.

    The 14" Pro is much lighter than the 16". If they use an even smaller battery (due to non-XDR display), they can get it a bit lower. It probably wouldn't be lower than 3lbs but 3-3.5lbs for a 15" laptop would be ok. It's possible for a 15" to be lighter, the following 15" is 2.2lbs but this is plastic:

    https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Lightweight-i7-8565U-Back-lit-Keyboard/dp/B07JLBJZD3

    If they get it to just under 3.5lbs, starting at $1499 with 8GB/512GB, that would be pretty good. They might not be able to hit $1499 though given that the 13" Air is $1499 at 8GB/512GB so it might be $1699 but then this means a 16GB model is $1899 and a 16GB/512GB 14" Pro is $1999. Still, it hits a lower entry price point for the 15" form factor.
  • Reply 30 of 32
    thedbathedba Posts: 762member
    Finally. This was the most mind boggling elitist position that Apple held for so long: In a world where the average laptop price is $800 and the average screen size is 15 in, to require its customers to pay a minimum of $2500 to get a screen at least that size was infuriating and depressingly out of touch IMO. I predict their market share is going to grow significantly once the 15 in MBA is available, assuming it’s in line with the $1199 13.6 in, so, like, no more than $1499. 
    Apple hasn't played the market share game for ages. 
    The game they do play, is called profit share. And in that one they more than often suck out all the oxygen out of the room, leaving the rest of the industry to battle it out for scraps. 
    The average laptop price you're talking about often translates into "average" and often "below average" products, with screens "starting at 1080p" a body made of plastic and fans working overtime to heat your room and not only during winter.  Let's not talk about dismal battery life and often dismal performance when opening up a Word document greater than 10 pages long.
    As for the 15" MBA, it's just a rumour. Until Apple actually announces it will remain just that.
  • Reply 31 of 32
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    thedba said:
    Finally. This was the most mind boggling elitist position that Apple held for so long: In a world where the average laptop price is $800 and the average screen size is 15 in, to require its customers to pay a minimum of $2500 to get a screen at least that size was infuriating and depressingly out of touch IMO. I predict their market share is going to grow significantly once the 15 in MBA is available, assuming it’s in line with the $1199 13.6 in, so, like, no more than $1499. 
    Apple hasn't played the market share game for ages. 
    The game they do play, is called profit share. And in that one they more than often suck out all the oxygen out of the room, leaving the rest of the industry to battle it out for scraps. 
    The average laptop price you're talking about often translates into "average" and often "below average" products, with screens "starting at 1080p" a body made of plastic and fans working overtime to heat your room and not only during winter.  Let's not talk about dismal battery life and often dismal performance when opening up a Word document greater than 10 pages long.
    As for the 15" MBA, it's just a rumour. Until Apple actually announces it will remain just that.

    15" MBA is a rumor for now but seeing people's interest on every article on web about it means Apple is working on it or not but there certainly lots of interest in a 15" Macbook Air version. Without doubt, it seems significant Macbook customer base who wants larger screen,light as possible in weight, smaller frame as possible and reasonable price against more performance. Apple has to figure out but it will be fool not to offer such Macbook Air or whatever you want to call it like Macbook Air Max.
  • Reply 32 of 32
    thedbathedba Posts: 762member
    wood1208 said:
    thedba said:
    Finally. This was the most mind boggling elitist position that Apple held for so long: In a world where the average laptop price is $800 and the average screen size is 15 in, to require its customers to pay a minimum of $2500 to get a screen at least that size was infuriating and depressingly out of touch IMO. I predict their market share is going to grow significantly once the 15 in MBA is available, assuming it’s in line with the $1199 13.6 in, so, like, no more than $1499. 
    Apple hasn't played the market share game for ages. 
    The game they do play, is called profit share. And in that one they more than often suck out all the oxygen out of the room, leaving the rest of the industry to battle it out for scraps. 
    The average laptop price you're talking about often translates into "average" and often "below average" products, with screens "starting at 1080p" a body made of plastic and fans working overtime to heat your room and not only during winter.  Let's not talk about dismal battery life and often dismal performance when opening up a Word document greater than 10 pages long.
    As for the 15" MBA, it's just a rumour. Until Apple actually announces it will remain just that.

    15" MBA is a rumor for now but seeing people's interest on every article on web about it means Apple is working on it or not but there certainly lots of interest in a 15" Macbook Air version. Without doubt, it seems significant Macbook customer base who wants larger screen,light as possible in weight, smaller frame as possible and reasonable price against more performance. Apple has to figure out but it will be fool not to offer such Macbook Air or whatever you want to call it like Macbook Air Max.
    Internet fora are echo chambers for a tiny minority of Apple users. Wanting/needing a 15" MBA for those people does not necessarily translate into sales for Apple.
    If the hypothetical 15" MBA is priced at no more than $1400 then maybe you get a bunch of non techs to buy it.
    If on the other hand Apple prices it at around $1600 then chances are it won't sell as well.  
    In the end it's all speculation, since Apple hasn't announced such a product. 
    edited June 2022 muthuk_vanalingam
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