Apple may be developing 15-inch MacBook Air, display analyst says

Apple may release a new 15-inch MacBook Air in 2023, as well as refresh the 13-inch MacBook Air and some type of 12-inch iPad model, according to display analysts.

The new 15-inch MacBook Air model would join the existing MacBook Air, which could also receive some type of display size bump, according to analyst Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants. The information was provided in the company's quarterly display analysis report.

It isn't clear what the specific plans are for the 13-inch MacBook Air. Apple could reduce the bezel size and allow the device's display to measure closer to 14 inches like current MacBook Pro models.

Along with the MacBook Air predictions, Young also believes Apple is developing a larger 10-inch iPad model. The base model iPad currently has a 10.2-inch display when measured on the diagonal, but reducing the bezel size could bring the device's screen size up to 10.9 inches like the iPad Air.

Young has an excellent track record of reporting accurate information regarding Apple's display technologies. According to the report, the new predictions are based on interviews of brands, panel suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and others in the display industry.

This is not the first mention of a 15-inch MacBook Air. Internal emails penned by late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs indicate that the Cupertino tech giant was at least considering a 15-inch MacBook Air model in 2015. Apple, of course, did not follow through with those plans.

According to the latest rumors, Apple may not release a refresh of its current MacBook Air devices until later in 2022.

4 Comments

wood1208 2930 comments · 10 Years

About 2 years ago

Apple, we will welcome 15" Macbook Air but first please make 14.1" Macbook Air like 14.1" Macbook Pro. IMO, not advisable to make larger sized thin laptop/s like 15",16" Macbook Air and still have excellent durability. Macbook Air suppose to be thin, light,cheaper and still reliable/durable over years of usage.

blastdoor 3564 comments · 15 Years

I'd like a 13" iPad Air. I don't need the higher end camera or other pro features of the iPad Pro. But an M1 and a 13" screen would be perfect for me (basically I just want a big screen and fast processor for Civ 6).

irwinmaurice 26 comments · 16 Years

Wouldn’t mind seeing this:

Apple portables at starting price points AND sizes for most users

11” MBA - $899
13” MBA - $1199
15” MBA - $1499

14” MB Pro - $1999
16” MB Pro - $2499

if true, the 15” MBA would fill a huge void for those of us w older / tired eyes who want the screen real estate without the need for the MB Pro power.

tht 5594 comments · 23 Years

irwinmaurice said:

Wouldn’t mind seeing this:

Apple portables at starting price points AND sizes for most users

11” MBA - $899
13” MBA - $1199
15” MBA - $1499

14” MB Pro - $1999
16” MB Pro - $2499

if true, the 15” MBA would fill a huge void for those of us w older / tired eyes who want the screen real estate without the need for the MB Pro power.

My usual tirade: 11" displays are too small for modern web and office automation work. 12" is too small. Apple has tried 12" laptops a few times and never really sticks. The PC industry have tried 8" to 10" Netbooks and Chromebooks. They all eventually evolved to become 13" laptops. It is just not worth the effort. So, I'd go:

MBA13 w/M1 - $900
MBA13 w/M2 - $1000
MBA13 w/M2 - $1300
MBA15 w/M2 - $1600
MBP14 w/M2 Pro - $2000
MBP16 w/M2 Pro - $2500

Not that different from your lineup. Just replacing your MBA11 with a MBA13 M1 model and increasing the MBA15 to $1600, which may still be too low. The only bad thing with using the 2020 M1 MBA, from Apple's perspective, is that it is a really really good laptop. Upsell would be tough. I sometimes question if the rumored new industrial design for the MacBook Air, with colors, would even do it. But they really need to have an $800 laptop more sales into the education market. An M1 MBA13 at $900 with an edu discount would be good for a long time in that market.

I'd also like Apple to try some special edition style laptops. Not like an iPhone SE, but something with interesting form factors, like a folding display or dual display laptop, or a laptop with mechanical keys. Don't let having the thinnest laptops in the market be a detriment to other industrial designs.