Will there be a new MacBook Air in 2023?

As many wait on the oft-delayed launch of Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro, the real change may be happening elsewhere. Those looking for a new macOS laptop should skip over the professional laptops and even consider if the current MacBook Air is over-specced for their needs, because Apple has something better planned for the average consumer. It’s a third portable macOS laptop, as reported by LeaksApplePro:

"The new 12-inch MacBook will have a binned-down M3 or the M2. It'll be a great entry-level Mac that will appeal to many students – and if Apple can price it right, it'll sell very well. I don't have much more information about this MacBook, Apple is still working on it, and I should get more details about it as we get closer to launch."

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 06: Brand new redesigned MacBook Air laptops are displayed during the ... [+] WWDC22 at Apple Park on June 06, 2022 in Cupertino, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the annual WWDC22 developer conference. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

This could be the final brick in Apple’s macOS laptop strategy as it finalises the move away from the tired look of the Intel chipset laptops and into the world of a new design language and flexibility offered by the Apple Silicon laptops.

Let’s start with a look at Apple’s macOS laptop choices.

The advantage of using Apple Silicon is that Apple has lifted the bar of the base machine. It’s also a bit of a distraction because it has upset the previous balance of the Intel-powered portfolio. With the upcoming launch of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, Apple is resetting the expectations at the top end, and that also means a re-appraisal of the MacBook Air.

Put simply, the MacBook Air is more than enough for day-to-day use. You’ll be able to run the core office-based apps, a web browser suitable for most online tasks, and there’s enough grunt in the M1 chipset for basic multi-media editing (and another twenty per cent on top of that with the m2).

Frankly, most people don’t need to go any higher… although those wanting to have the social status of owning a “macBook Pro” can upgrade to the Frankenstein 13-inch MacBook Pro (which is little more than a MacBook Air with a cooling fan). A hardcore Apple fan and their money are easily parted.

That potential wasn’t there with the entry-level Intel chipsets used by previous MacBook Airs, which meant that the MacBook Pro was a valid choice for the keen amateur creative. With that option no longer needed, the MacBook Pro can push higher up into the professional market, safe in the knowledge that for the general public there is a far better option than the MacBook Pro.

New information suggests that there might be something better than the MacBook Air coming down the line in the future.

One of the issues with the MacBook Air is that the latest model, which sports not only the M2 chipset but also the new design language that debuted on the larger Pro models, saw a $300 price premium over the traditional $999 sticker for the MacBook Air. To counter this, the MacBook Air M1 remained in the portfolio, albeit with the older design and slower but still more than capable first generation of Apple Silicon.

I can’t see Apple keeping this model, or the awkward 13-inch MacBook Pro, along for much longer. It just looks wrong and is a reminder of the Intel days. So the news that Apple is working on a slightly smaller laptop than the MacBook Air makes a lot of sense. Sporting a 12-inch screen, the new design, and those Apple Silicon chipsets that benefit from the higher base-line performance, this presumptively solo-monikered MacBook would be a better option for many than the MacBook Air.

Bring a 12-inch MacBook in at $999, a 13-inch MacBook Air at $1299, and then the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models from $1999, and you have the classic triplet of "good, better, best” beloved by Apple management; a product line that is way to understand, and the widest range capabilities spread over the macOS laptops.

As for the vast majority of people, they can forget the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. That tempting MacBook will be enough.

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Apple revealed its M2 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro this year, but it looks like for fans who wanted a bigger MacBook Air, the wait will continue till next year.  In a newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests we might see several products in 2023, including a new Mac Pro, a bigger 15-inch MacBook Air, and a new M3-powered iMac.

Gurman predicts that Apple might increase the current MacBook Air’s size to something ‘slightly larger’ between 13-inches and 14-inches. It also looks like Apple will straight up jump to the M3 iMac, instead of introducing one with the M2 processor. But whether Apple will change the design is not clear.

Previously, Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo had predicted that a 15-inch MacBook Air was on the way. Kuo had predicted earlier that the 15-inch MacBook would come M2 amd M2 Pro chipset variations. The M2 Pro would get faster 67W charging while the base variant will have 35W charging, noted Kuo. He expects the launch date for this to be the second quarter of 2023 or later.

The new MacBook Air is not the only hardware that Apple is working on for 2023.  Mark Gurman also says that a new and larger version of the iPad might also be under work, suggesting that the new device will be a 14-inch iPad Pro. Recently, another Apple analyst Ross Young also said that a 14.1-inch iPad Pro will be launched in early 2023.

Earlier in June this year, leaks also talked about an updated HomePod codenamed B620. Reportedly, the updated HomePod might sport the S8 processor, a chip that powers the Apple Watch Series 8. Some reports also suggest that the new HomePod will offer multi-touch functionality.

Of course, the biggest launch of 2023 from Apple is not going to be the new MacBook or new even the future iPhone 15. It will be the much-anticipated Reality Pro Headset, which is due for an unveiling next year. According to some Apple analysts, the upcoming mixed reality headset might feature three screens – two micro OLED 4K displays and one low-resolution AMOLED panel. A powerful GPU and CPU are also expected to power the headset.

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First published on: 26-09-2022 at 10:09:55 am

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