Zach Spear
Translated from Chinese by Google Translate, the recent entry on Apple.pro said, "It is understood that Apple is producing more than the current MBA size MacBook Air (15-inch?)."  (Apple's current MacBook Air, of course, ships with a 13.3-inch display.)
"Core architecture will use Intel processors, the latest...from the current ultra-low voltage processor 'Core 2'," the report claims. "[This will] make a stunning ultra-portable suitable for the older poor eyesight."
Apple.pro's track record in Apple rumors is mixed.  Photos it posted in August billed as the new MacBook turned out to be false, while its July photos of the new MacBook Pro turned out to be quite revealing of the actual product. Â
Also turning out to be fake was a video it claimed in October to be of the new aluminum MacBook.  On the other hand, despite the video, still images it posted of the same product that same month did turn out to be accurate (last item).
The site claims more information will be published in the future.
While there is a subset of Apple's customer base that would welcome a larger-screened MacBook Air, it is unclear if there would be enough overall demand to sustain such a product.
Apple does not provide breakdowns of notebook sales by model, but a quick glance at the Apple Store's Mac Top Sellers column lists the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac ahead of the fourth-place MacBook Air. Â
It is unknown whether the average customer, for whom travel and portability are not major factors, would forgo the added performance of the 15-inch MacBook Pro in favor of a 15-inch MacBook Air. Â
While such a product is possible, Apple's product line-up tends to very well-defined with a clear hierarchical difference between each model. Thus, it is difficult to judge where a 15-inch MacBook Air would fit in with the other portables, since the current 13.3-inch version trails behind as it is.
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
104 Comments
I have to question this report as it would have the potential to disrupt the portable lineup.
- If one needs a very portable laptop, opt for the MacBook Air.
- If one needs a consumer level laptop, opt for the MacBook.
- If one needs a larger screen than what's available in either the MB or MBA, opt for the MacBook Pro.
The addition of a 15-inch MBA would simply disrupt the advantage of both the larger screen and features of the MBP and could undermine the 13-inch MBA. I think the MBA as it exists today is a strategic product that is able to meet the ultra portable requirement. A 15-inch simply wouldn't make sense in my view.
I have to question this report as it would have the potential to disrupt the portable lineup.
Their reliability is questionable because it's not clear which pieces of information they publish come from their reliable sources and which do not. They've been just as wrong as they've been right.
Best,
K
Their reliability is questionable because it's not clear which pieces of information they publish come from their reliable sources and which do not. They've been just as wrong as they've been right.
Best,
K
They post anything and everything that comes their way so they're bound to be right once in a while. I doubt this is one of those times.
A Chinese-language blog with a debatable track record
I burst out laughing at this line - I love the Apple rumour lifecycle.
I have to question this report as it would have the potential to disrupt the portable lineup.
- If one needs a very portable laptop, opt for the MacBook Air.
- If one needs a consumer level laptop, opt for the MacBook.
- If one needs a larger screen than what's available in either the MB or MBA, opt for the MacBook Pro.
The addition of a 15-inch MBA would simply disrupt the advantage of both the larger screen and features of the MBP and could undermine the 13-inch MBA. I think the MBA as it exists today is a strategic product that is able to meet the ultra portable requirement. A 15-inch simply wouldn't make sense in my view.
I'm a bit unsure whether this is true also, but since my partner is a MacBook Air user I know that many people's assumptions about who buys the MacBook Air and for what reason are often wrong.
A lot of people buy the MacBook Air because it's a cool laptop that simply meets their needs. As was pointed out by it's defenders when it arrived on the scene, the majority of people using a computer just use it to surf the web and write a few documents. The MacBook Air might be chosen by users for it's "portability" in the same way that any laptop is portable, but the same laptop with a 15" screen would be just as "portable" in that sense.
I don't get the feeling that the Air is chosen over other laptops because it is *more* portable (by reason of being a touch lighter and thinner). I think people in the market for a laptop simply look at the array of laptops before them and pick which one is "the coolest" and which suits their needs.
IMO the MacBook Air is not some freakish thing that only people with a strong need for portability would choose, it's just a laptop like any other with a set of features.