Apple is planning to go big with the MacBook Air, with the company reportedly eyeing a refreshed model with a 15-inch display that is slated to arrive in 2023. Rumors about a larger MacBook Air first started making rounds in January 2021 when a report claimed that Apple was considering a 15-inch model. Interestingly, internal documents unearthed as part of the Apple vs Epic trial also revealed that at some point, Apple had plans of supersizing the MacBook Air’s screen real estate.
While a larger MacBook Air is yet to make it to market, Apple has played around with the screen size in the past. For several years, Apple sold an 11-inch MacBook Air, before finally discontinuing the model in 2016. A slight upgrade was made when the short-lived MacBook arrived with a 12-inch Retina display. Ever since, the MacBook Air portfolio has remained loyal to its 13-inch form factor, and its highly anticipated redesigned version rumored to arrive later in 2022 will reportedly stick to the same screen size.
Rumors about a 15-inch MacBook Air have once again popped up online, and from a fairly reliable source too. As per the latest quarterly edition of its industry report, Display Supply Chain Consultants (via MacRumors) says Apple is planning to launch a 15-inch MacBook Air in 2023. The report doesn’t go into detail about the device’s internal hardware. If one were to take an educated guess, however, the notebook might come armed with the next-gen Apple M2 silicon that’s expected to find its way inside a ton of Mac hardware in 2022 and 2023. Just like the M1 lineup, Apple is expected to launch more powerful versions tentatively going by the names M2 Pro, M2 Max, and M2 Ultra. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman even went as far as predicting an M2 Extreme chipset for high-end hardware such as the Mac Pro, or the next-gen Mac Studio.
A Size Upgrade Makes Sense
Several rumors have pointed to a MacBook Air with a fresh design inspired by the iMac and iPad Air line’s color palette. As per alleged CAD-based renders of the device, the iconic tapered design of the MacBook Air will finally ride into the sunset in favor of a more blocky design inspired by the M1 MacBook Pro. The white bezels are reportedly returning, and the same color tone change will reportedly extend to the keyboard deck as well. If those rumors materialize, Apple might carry over the same design experiment to its rumored 15-inch MacBook Air as well.
A 15-inch model is actually not a bad idea, and makes a lot of sense, especially for creative folks eyeing a larger screen without the firepower and hefty price tag that comes with ‘Pro’ machines such as the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. Plus, the raw processing power offered by an “entry-level” M2 chip would still be plenty, especially given the stellar outing by the M1. However, it’s not just creative use cases like running professional audio-visual apps where a larger screen real estate can really make a difference. Even for less intensive workflows that demand a ton of split-screen multitasking, a 15-inch MacBook Air sounds like a fantastic machine.
