while both bloombergMark Gurman and display analyst Ross Young originally expected Apple to announce the upcoming 15-inch MacBook Air at a spring event, which seems less likely now that we’re into May — and the WWDC conference is approaching.
Gurman now expects to launch the new device at WWDC, and it will certainly be a strong headline…
Our call for the 15-inch MacBook Air
We’ve been asking for the MacBook Air with a larger screen for years now. In fact, Zac Hall said for the first time in over a decade that this would be his dream machine, and he’d buy one as soon as Apple made it.
I came across a tweet from 2012 on my Timehop feed this week announcing my intention to buy a 15-inch MacBook Air assuming there is one eventually.
Chance Miller agreed, saying it would be the ultimate MacBook for him and many others.
This will be the ultimate portable MacBook for me, and probably many others. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is a great device, but its weight of 4.8 pounds means it’s almost unobtrusive in your backpack. If you need the power of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, it’s a great choice. However, my situation means I don’t need that much power, but would like a 16-inch screen.
I’d argue there are a lot of people out there who would like the productivity benefits of a larger screen without the power of a MacBook Pro.
there a lot Reasons why people might want a MacBook Air with a big screen. Being able to work with two windows side by side is a plus. You don’t have to use professional apps to take advantage of this. A student might have a website open while they are writing a paper. A skilled chef may have a recipe open while he is compiling a shopping list. The writer may open his notes as he writes (if he hasn’t heard of Scrivener yet!). There are endless possibilities.
We’ll soon have one
With so many people buying the MacBook Pro just for the larger screen size, Apple is likely worried about cannibalizing these sales. But as MBP’s become more and more expensive, the risk of this has dropped dramatically – as has the potential for professional buyers to cut back.
Today, for example, anyone can buy a 13-inch MacBook Air from $999. If they want to go up to 16 inches, the cheapest MacBook Pro they can buy will cost them at least $2,499. Very few people would be willing to pay two and a half times the price just to get a bigger screen.
With nearly all MacBook Pro users buying the device because they need power, it’s unlikely we’ll see many of them opting instead for the 15-inch MacBook Air.
We first heard reports of the 15-inch MacBook Air nearly a year ago now, with later suggestions for an April or May release.
It’s still not entirely impossible, but since April has come and gone, we’re in May with no Apple event announced, and getting closer to next month’s WWDC, the smart money is now being announced in the developer keynote.
Are you planning to buy one?
We don’t know how much the new device will cost, but the price difference between the entry-level 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models is $500. This precedent suggests that the 15-inch MacBook Air could come in at $500 higher than the 13-inch M2 model, which would make it $1,799.
However, given the potential quantities the company will sell, Apple may be able to snip $100-$200 from that, coming in somewhere in the $1,599-1,799 range.
At this kind of price, are you planning to buy one? Please take part in our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.
Presented by: Luke Meany
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