New 15-inch MacBook Air now rumored for 2023, 12-inch notebook to follow

By Oliver Haslam
published

Apple Wwdc22 Hands On Area Macbook Air Close Up Steve Jobs Theater Apple Park
Apple Wwdc22 Hands On Area Macbook Air Close Up Steve Jobs Theater Apple Park (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • Apple is reportedly readying a new 15-inch MacBook Pro to join the recently introduced 13.6-inch model.
  • A new 12-inch Mac portable is thought to be readying for a 2023/2024 release.
  • Apple's larger MacBook Air is set for a 2023 release, according to reports.

Apple is rumored to be readying a new, larger 15-inch MacBook Air that could arrive as soon as next year while a smaller 12-inch notebook is also thought to be in the cards for a release in late 2023 or early 2024.

In terms of that new MacBook Air, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that the machine will be a "wider version" of the new 13.6-inch machine that Apple announced earlier this week. This matches a previous report from display analyst Ross Young who pointed to a potential 2023 release. Gurman appears to back that up with today's report. Gurman doesn't mention which chip the new MacBook Air could benefit from, but it's likely to be a future-generation M-series chip. Expectations aren't that it will offer new display technology, either.

See more

Gurman also notes that Apple is again ready to get back on the mini-MacBook train. A new 12-inch notebook is said to be in the works with a launch set for late 2023 or early 2024. Apple's previous 12-inch MacBook was discontinued in 2019 and ran Intel chips. The move to Apple silicon would allow for improved performance for a device that was always hamstrung by Apple's assistance on removing all fans.

M2 Macbook Air Midnight Closed

M2 Macbook Air Midnight Closed (Image credit: Gerald Lynch / iMore)

Apple has also begun work on a new 12-inch laptop and is considering launching it at the end of 2023 or in early 2024. If Apple moves forward with the release, it would represent the company's smallest laptop since it discontinued the 12-inch MacBook in 2019.

Gurman says that it is "unclear if the new 12-inch laptop would be a low-end device or a higher-end machine that's part of the MacBook Pro line," something that would have a big bearing on its expected price. However, given the small size and Apple's likelihood to go fanless once more, the former seems more likely. Apple once sold an 11-inch MacBook Air, a machine that the 12-inch MacBook was the spiritual successor to. That smaller MacBook Air was the best Mac for people who needed the ultimate in portability, but it too suffered from poor performance.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.