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15" MacBook in 2023
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15" MacBook in 2023
By all reports we’re getting a 15” MacBook in 2023. If Apple does nothing more than release a larger version of the 13” M2 MacBook Air — great! But there are a few curious things that make me doubt it will be a 15” MacBook Air. So hear me out.
When Apple debuted M2 at WWDC, they put it in the MacBook Air with the new design & in the old design of the 13” MacBook Pro. Yet they didn’t update the Mac mini to M2. Why?
Rumors of a new Mac mini design were quashed so it couldn’t be a new design holding the mini up.
There’s been talk about the Mac mini getting both an M2 for the low-end & a M2 Pro for the high-end, finally putting that Intel model out to pasture. It was obvious when the M2 came out that the M2 Pro/Max was coming later so the rumor about the Mac mini having M2 & M2 Pro kind of made sense — debut them both simultaneously.
However the plot thickens. It’s 2023. We still don’t have the M2 Pro/Max, like we thought we would by now. We’re getting hints that the M2 Pro/Max could be 3nm SoCs instead of 5nm like the M2. Apparently TSMC began 3nm production just a few days ago.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The rumors about the 15” MacBook have consistently said it would launch in 2023. Apple probably knew all along M2 Pro/Max chips wouldn’t be ready until 2023 so they planned that all along for the 15” MacBook.
There are rumors that the 15” MacBook will have the option of an M2 Pro — a peculiar option for a MacBook Air. We know that the M2 Pro is going to need active cooling. So it would make sense that the 15” MacBook has been designed around active cooling. This means it's probably not as thin as the 13.6" Air & is waiting for the M2 Pro chips for its unveiling.
It makes me wonder about the timing of a 15” MacBook Air. It made sense for Apple to have debuted the new 13” & 15” MacBook Air together last June, like they did in 2021 for the 14” & 16” MacBook Pros. That still could happen, however…
Last week came a rumor via display analyst Ross Young that the 15” MacBook will have a 15.5” screen. That’s curious. The previous 15” MacBook Pro was 15.4”. It makes me think Apple doesn't want a 15" MacBook any larger than the footprint of the previous 15" MacBook Pro. That probably also means that the bezel around the screen will be as thin as the 14” & 16” MacBook Pros & not thicker like on the new 13.6” Air.
So could it be that what we’re looking at here is a 15.5” MacBook Pro & NOT a 15” MacBook Air.
Think about it. You want a MacBook with a larger screen but don’t need all of that horsepower & also don’t want to pay $2,500 for the 16” model. That Pro branding has upsell all over it.
Apple will offer a 15.5” MacBook Pro with an M2, sans mini LED, ProMotion, HDMI, and an SD card slot to keep costs down. It will be thicker than the MacBook Air but thinner than the 14 & 16” MacBook Pros. It won’t throttle under load like the MacBook Air does because it’s actively cooled — and that’s the differentiator on MacBooks between Air & Pro — active cooling.
When Apple introduces new 14” & 16” MacBook Pro models at a spring event, they will say:
“And today we’re also introducing a new MacBook Pro to the family & here’s a look…”
[Splashy product montage reveal]
“Here’s our new brand new 15” MacBook Pro. Designed for our professional customers who need the larger display but don’t require all the performance of our 14” & 16” MacBook Pros.
“We’ve got the same Liquid Retina display technology wrapped around a gorgeous 15.5” screen, a 1080p FaceTime webcam, amazing speakers for a true immersive sound stage, plus incredible 18 hour all-day battery life. All coming in a package that weighs just 4 pounds.”
So the pricing would be something like this:
15.5” MacBook Pro with M2
8GB of RAM
256GB SSD (perhaps this will be 2 NANDs this time, and this was a planned differentiator in performance?)
$1,699.
8GB of RAM
512GB GB SSD
$1,899
M2 Pro
16GB of RAM
512GB SSD
$2,199
In typical Apple fashion they pit you against the value proposition. You need the HDMI, SD card reader, and/or want mini LED with Pro Motion? You buy the 16” model instead for just a little more $$$. Apple will discontinue the 13" MacBook Pro altogether — it was a stop gap until this point (that's why they put a label for the M2 over the M1 on the box).
It would be nice if Apple kept it really simple though & just released a larger version of the 13.6" M2 MacBook Air. Maybe they will & my thoughts are all for naught. But it seems this type of "bridge model" is something Apple would do.
When Apple debuted M2 at WWDC, they put it in the MacBook Air with the new design & in the old design of the 13” MacBook Pro. Yet they didn’t update the Mac mini to M2. Why?
Rumors of a new Mac mini design were quashed so it couldn’t be a new design holding the mini up.
There’s been talk about the Mac mini getting both an M2 for the low-end & a M2 Pro for the high-end, finally putting that Intel model out to pasture. It was obvious when the M2 came out that the M2 Pro/Max was coming later so the rumor about the Mac mini having M2 & M2 Pro kind of made sense — debut them both simultaneously.
However the plot thickens. It’s 2023. We still don’t have the M2 Pro/Max, like we thought we would by now. We’re getting hints that the M2 Pro/Max could be 3nm SoCs instead of 5nm like the M2. Apparently TSMC began 3nm production just a few days ago.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The rumors about the 15” MacBook have consistently said it would launch in 2023. Apple probably knew all along M2 Pro/Max chips wouldn’t be ready until 2023 so they planned that all along for the 15” MacBook.
There are rumors that the 15” MacBook will have the option of an M2 Pro — a peculiar option for a MacBook Air. We know that the M2 Pro is going to need active cooling. So it would make sense that the 15” MacBook has been designed around active cooling. This means it's probably not as thin as the 13.6" Air & is waiting for the M2 Pro chips for its unveiling.
It makes me wonder about the timing of a 15” MacBook Air. It made sense for Apple to have debuted the new 13” & 15” MacBook Air together last June, like they did in 2021 for the 14” & 16” MacBook Pros. That still could happen, however…
Last week came a rumor via display analyst Ross Young that the 15” MacBook will have a 15.5” screen. That’s curious. The previous 15” MacBook Pro was 15.4”. It makes me think Apple doesn't want a 15" MacBook any larger than the footprint of the previous 15" MacBook Pro. That probably also means that the bezel around the screen will be as thin as the 14” & 16” MacBook Pros & not thicker like on the new 13.6” Air.
So could it be that what we’re looking at here is a 15.5” MacBook Pro & NOT a 15” MacBook Air.
Think about it. You want a MacBook with a larger screen but don’t need all of that horsepower & also don’t want to pay $2,500 for the 16” model. That Pro branding has upsell all over it.
Apple will offer a 15.5” MacBook Pro with an M2, sans mini LED, ProMotion, HDMI, and an SD card slot to keep costs down. It will be thicker than the MacBook Air but thinner than the 14 & 16” MacBook Pros. It won’t throttle under load like the MacBook Air does because it’s actively cooled — and that’s the differentiator on MacBooks between Air & Pro — active cooling.
When Apple introduces new 14” & 16” MacBook Pro models at a spring event, they will say:
“And today we’re also introducing a new MacBook Pro to the family & here’s a look…”
[Splashy product montage reveal]
“Here’s our new brand new 15” MacBook Pro. Designed for our professional customers who need the larger display but don’t require all the performance of our 14” & 16” MacBook Pros.
“We’ve got the same Liquid Retina display technology wrapped around a gorgeous 15.5” screen, a 1080p FaceTime webcam, amazing speakers for a true immersive sound stage, plus incredible 18 hour all-day battery life. All coming in a package that weighs just 4 pounds.”
So the pricing would be something like this:
15.5” MacBook Pro with M2
8GB of RAM
256GB SSD (perhaps this will be 2 NANDs this time, and this was a planned differentiator in performance?)
$1,699.
8GB of RAM
512GB GB SSD
$1,899
M2 Pro
16GB of RAM
512GB SSD
$2,199
In typical Apple fashion they pit you against the value proposition. You need the HDMI, SD card reader, and/or want mini LED with Pro Motion? You buy the 16” model instead for just a little more $$$. Apple will discontinue the 13" MacBook Pro altogether — it was a stop gap until this point (that's why they put a label for the M2 over the M1 on the box).
It would be nice if Apple kept it really simple though & just released a larger version of the 13.6" M2 MacBook Air. Maybe they will & my thoughts are all for naught. But it seems this type of "bridge model" is something Apple would do.
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