For Mark Gurman a 15″ MacBook Air is probable but not a 12″ one. Bloomberg’s usually well-informed Mark Gurman thinks a 15-inch MacBook Air is likely this year, but not the previously speculated 12-inch model.
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Rumors have previously circulated of an alleged 15″ MacBook Air also reported by the analyst specializing in displays Ross Young, according to which Apple suppliers would have started production of a 15.5″ panel in the first quarter of 2023, indicating how likely to be released in the spring.
The rumor of a 15″ MacBook Air is to be taken with a grain of salt because it would make the lineup confusing. Currently the MacBook Air is available in the 13.3″ variant with M1 chip, and in the 13.6″ variant with M2 chip; the MacBook Pro is available in 14.2″ and 16.2″ variants. Typically, those who choose the Air do so for portability (the M2 chip variant weighs 1.24kg) and increasing the size would lead to compromises and perhaps it would be better to focus on a 12″ rather than a 15″: we would have a simplified lineup with MacBook Air 12″, MacBook Air 13.6″, MacBook Pro 14.2″ and MacBook Pro 16.2″, which can cover the need of most users.
Apple has sold 12-inch notebooks in the past (base and top-of-the-line machines), including the 12-inch MacBook Retina in 2015 which weighed less than 1 kg and was 13.1 mm thick. The main problem with the previous 12″ models had to do with the thermal constraints of Intel processors, drawbacks that are no longer a problem with Apple Silicon CPUs.
For the 15″ Air, Apple intends to use the same design as the current latest 13.6″ model, with rounded shapes and a cabinet without the wedge shape that has always distinguished the Air and which is now thinner of the old Air in its widest part, the zipper area.
