William Gallagher
A new Apple entry in a Bluetooth organizational database looks certain to be a Mac, and may be the as-yet unannounced 15-inch MacBook Air.
Recent reports claim that a 15-inch — or 15.5-inch — MacBook Air has now entered mass production. Separately, a database held by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which counts Apple as a "promoter" member, has added a new Mac listing.
It does not state that the device is a Mac, nor does it give any details beyond that it will feature Bluetooth 5.3. Reportedly until the device undergoes a Bluetooth Qualification Process, it will not appear in the database's publicly-available search results.
However, the listing filed on February 18, 2023, does reference a related "qualified design," which states that it is to do with macOS.
The new Bluetooth database listing was first spotted by MacRumors.
This Bluetooth Launch Studio appears to only rarely list specific Apple devices. A current search shows only 10 results, with the most recent following this one, dating back to 2019. So it isn't necessarily the same kind of early sign of a new MacBook Air that an entry in the EEC database might.
It does appear certain that Apple's entry refers to a new Mac. But in that case, while it could be the new MacBook Air, it might equally apply to the filing of the current generations of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro that launched in January.
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
3 Comments
It could also be related to the new Mac Pro that Apple is working on.
The cynic in me is skeptical since we've had rumors of a 15 inch Air for at least a year with nothing to show. That said, I've been holding off upgrading my wife's 10 year old 15" MBP as an Air would be a downgrade in screen size. If the price is right, a 15" Air could be a hot seller for the crowd that doesn't need the specs (and price) of the new MBP's but still need a larger screen.
There's a lot of good reasons for the 15" Air, so these rumors seem well-founded. I also think the M2 iMac will be introduced at the same time, also M2 iPad Air.
I don't know if either Mac would have an M2 Pro option, but they might require the 10-core GPU, like the M2 Mini does. No event, just press releases, like in January.