The larger MacBook Air should use Apple’s upcoming M3 chip, but it’s a little less clear if the 13-inch laptop can get that chip.
- What’s happening? Apple will release several new Macs this year, including a new 15-inch MacBook Air that could be introduced by summer.
- Why care? The MacBook Air is Apple’s best-selling laptop. Equipping your computer with a 15-inch display can make it even more attractive.
- What to do? Imagine the difference between a 13.3-inch and a 15-inch MacBook Pro—that’s exactly what a supposed 15-inch MacBook Air should be.
Apple’s first 15-inch MacBook Air could be unveiled at WWDC
Apple currently only offers the MacBook Air in one screen size, 13.6 inches, but the new model should take the laptop into 15-inch territory. In the latest issue of his Bloomberg newsletter, Mark Gurman claims that Apple is gearing up for a long-established 15-inch MacBook Air, codenamed J515, “between late spring and summer.”
Apple is likely to unveil the machine at its annual developer conference in June.
Last year, Apple unveiled the first M2 chip at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. If Apple had stuck to last year’s schedule, the M3 chip along with the new MacBook Air at WWDC 2023 would have made sense.
Another possibility could be an early launch in March or April. It doesn’t look like there’s going to be an Apple event this spring, although that shouldn’t stop the company from releasing a 15-inch MacBook Air with a press release and website update.
What if the 13-inch MacBook Air stayed on the M2 chip?
The gourmand isn’t sure if the new MacBook Airs will ship with Apple’s upcoming M3 chips or keep the current M2 silicon. The M3 will reportedly be built on TSMC’s latest 3nm process, which will deliver noticeably faster performance and improved battery life, but that chip may be overkill for the MacBook Air.
But the chip intended for the new MacBook Air models is a little less clear. If these machines show up in a few months with an M2 chip, they will quickly become obsolete. The 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip may still appeal to consumers, but the new 13-inch MacBook Air M2 is unlikely to be attractive.
The current 13-inch MacBook Air runs on the M2 chip. Installing the M3 chip in the 15-inch MacBook Air will make this computer the new flagship model in the family. In this case, it makes sense to leave the 13-inch model with the M2 chip.
Such a move wouldn’t be unheard of – the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus have the old A15 chip from the iPhone 13, but only the iPhone 14 Pro runs on the latest A16 Bionic processor.
Other Mac updates in tow
Gurman claims that along with the all-new MacBook Air, the Cupertino-based company is preparing to release an updated 13-inch MacBook Air (J513) and Apple Silicon Mac Pro. These two launches should also take place between late spring and summer.
Apple has reportedly begun production testing of an updated 24-inch iMac due out in the fall. The monoblock should get a faster M-series chip, but there will be no changes in screen size and new colors. In 2024, Gurman expects the first Apple tablet with an OLED display.
MacBook Pros with the M3 Pro and M3 Max chipsets should also arrive in 2024, Gurman suggests, with “even more exciting Mac updates”possibly coming as early as 2025, including the first OLED-based touchscreen MacBooks.