Skip to main content

Apple may launch a groundbreaking new Mac in a few weeks

This spring could be a momentous one for Apple fans, with a top-secret mixed-reality headset and new Apple silicon Mac Pro lined up for release. We’ve also heard whispers that Apple is planning to launch a 15.5-inch MacBook Air, and that idea just received a major boost from a well-known industry expert.

That’s because display industry analyst Ross Young has just claimed in a post to his Twitter subscribers that screen panel production for the larger MacBook Air has already begun, with Apple lining up an early April release date for the device. If he’s correct, that means there are just a couple of months to wait. It follows previous reporting from Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman and Young himself pointing toward a spring release.

The MacBook Air on a table in front of a window.
Digital Trends

The idea of a 15-inch MacBook Air is significant because it will mark the first time since 2016 that Mac users have had a choice of two different MacBook Air sizes. The larger display could be attractive to people who like the increased screen real estate of the 16-inch MacBook Pro but either don’t like its price or don’t need its power.

Recommended Videos

Speaking of power, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously alleged the larger MacBook Air could come equipped with an M2 Pro chip, which would be a step up from the M2 found in the current 13-inch MacBook Air. Ross Young didn’t offer any comment on that in his latest report, so we don’t have any corroboration for Kuo’s assertions just yet.

Still, we can make some deductions based on Young’s projected release window. The 15-inch MacBook Air is one of the devices rumored to appear at Apple’s upcoming spring event. If Young believes this laptop is launching in early April, then it follows that the spring event could also be set for that time.

Apple previously sold an 11-inch MacBook Air, and the company heading in the opposite direction by bringing out a larger MacBook Air could disappoint users who were hoping for a more portable device. However, there are rumors that Apple is working on bringing back the 12-inch MacBook with an Apple silicon chip, which could scratch that itch for many people. There’s been precious little info on that device, though, and it’s not expected until late 2023 or early 2024 at the earliest.

With the 15-inch MacBook Air apparently due out much sooner, we might not have long to wait before Apple’s lightest laptop line gets a new addition to the family. If it impresses, it could help 2023 be the MacBook Air’s best year ever.

Alex Blake
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…
Apple is right to make iPadOS more Mac-like, but I’ll never buy an iPad that runs macOS
Magic Keyboard and iPad Pro.

Do you use a Mac or an iPad? Huge numbers of people use both, yet there are growing calls for Apple to merge the two devices into some kind of all-in-one super product. I’m not one of those people -- in fact I think it would be a terrible idea -- and I’m determined to steer clear of any hypothetical iPad that runs macOS.

Over the past few years, Apple’s best iPads have grown closer to the Mac. We’ve seen the devices get outfitted with Mac-grade chips like the M4, gain macOS-like software features such as Stage Manager, and gain increased compatibility with mice and keyboards.

Read more
WWDC may not deliver the macOS magic I’d love to see. Here’s why
macOS Sequoia being introduced by Apple's Craig Federighi at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is just two months away, and that means I’m starting to look forward to what could be coming to the Mac at Apple’s big summer show. The problem is that every time I think about WWDC 2025, I can’t shake one feeling: that Apple Intelligence is going to dominate everything at the event.To be fair, I don’t think Apple can do things any other way. As I’ve written about before, this year’s WWDC is make or break for Apple Intelligence. Apple has to not only make sure that its artificial intelligence (AI) platform catches up with rivals like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, but that it actually offers a service that can outdo its competitors in some ways. It needs to convince the public that Apple Intelligence is a worthy contender for their AI needs.And if Apple gets it right, then Apple Intelligence might finally become the system it was always meant to be, with a revamped Siri that possesses incredible contextual awareness and useful additions to key Mac apps that help you in your everyday life.But while I’m really hoping that Apple Intelligence gets the shake-up it so clearly needs, I don’t want the likes of macOS 16 and iOS 19 to miss out as a result. After all, these are the core aspects of Apple fans’ favorite devices. Without meaningful upgrades here, we’re all going to be a little worse off.

Déjà vu

Read more
I love the Dell XPS 13, but I’ll pick the MacBook Air any day
Dell XPS 13 and M4 MacBook Air.

I am a huge fan of slim and light laptops. That preference is borne more out of my professional lifestyle than a necessity for absolute silicon firebreathers. I believe a laptop should be, well, light on your lap, or hands, unless you need all that firepower in a mobile form factor.

That’s the reason gaming laptops exist, or those thick workstations such as the HP ZBook with an Nvidia RTX A500 series graphics card. For the rest, a thin laptop can do the job just fine, with its quirky set of compromises. Finding the right slim laptop, however, is the tricky part.

Read more