$Apple(AAPL.US)$ has long been rumored to launch a larger version of its Macbook Air. In this article, we will review all that we know about this upcoming device.
What Happened: The latest version of the Macbook Air has a 13.6 inches screen, but rumors say the newer model is significantly larger at 15 inches.
That would be the biggest Macbook Air released so far — even bigger than the smallest Macbook Pro model (14-inch) and just an inch less than the largest Pro.
But some suggest it may not be called a Macbook Air at all. Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young suggested in May that the new Macbook Air will actually be 15.2 inches across.
The features
This would be the first time that Apple would be selling multiple-size models of the Macbook Air since stopping the 11-inch Macbook Air model in 2016.
The new model's design is expected to closely resemble this year's 13-inch version, with a flat-edged design, a large force touch-enabled trackpad, a keyboard with physical function keys and completely passive cooling.
Passive cooling, usual for Macbook Airs, means not including a fan which results in sacrificing performance for a slimmer form factor.
Just like the 2015 model, the larger Macbook Air could feature a Magsafe charging port and a 1080p webcam. Experts do not expect the device to feature a mini-LED or pro-motion display, with both features expected to remain exclusive to the Macbook Pro lineup.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said the company is working on a new 15-inch Macbook in 2023 that would come with either an M2 or M2 Pro processor. While we are familiar with M2 in current Macbook Airs — with an 8-core CPU and up to 10-cores of GPU — there are still no details about the M2 Pro's specifications.
When
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently said we might see the new Macbook Air by next spring. Kuo, on the other hand, said the new device would be launched in the second quarter of 2023 or later. Young wrote in a report that we should expect to be able to get our hands on a new 15-inch Macbook in 2023.