Filed under: Rumors, MacBook Air
Rumor of a 15-inch MacBook Air: Take it lightly
On Friday, AppleInsider noted that Apple.pro, a hit-and-miss Chinese rumor blog, claims a 15-inch MacBook Air is on the way. The post in Chinese (and a copy run through Google Translate) is available.
The site claims the new Air will use low-voltage Intel Core 2 processors, and will be geared for "the older [with] poor eyesight."
AppleInsider includes a history of Apple.pro's predictions, and so far, they're batting .500. I'm not saying I'm any better (fact is, I haven't been to the batting cages in months), so take all this with a proverbial grain of salt.
If the rumors are true, it's unclear how utile a larger MacBook Air will be, especially if the key differentiating factor of the current Air is its size and weight. While it will have to be less hefty than, say, the 15-inch MacBook Pro, a larger MacBook Air seems like it's trying to fill a gap that doesn't exist: at the highest end of Apple's notebook pricing spectrum.
As for pricing (for the US, at least), perhaps we can speculate with an analogy: If a 2.4GHz MacBook is to a 2.4GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro, then a 1.86GHz MacBook Air is to a theoretical 1.86GHz 15-inch MacBook Air. Thus, $1,600 : $2,000 :: $2,500 : $3,125. Yikes: Even more expensive than the new 17-inch model ($2,800). Maybe the analogy isn't perfect, but that's still a pricey proposition to help those with "poor eyesight."
What do you think? Is there a market for a big, ultra-premium MacBook Air? Would you buy one? Sound off in comments.
[Via Engadget.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
tyler said 4:21PM on 1-19-2009
FAIL!!
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required said 6:17PM on 1-19-2009
I don't know about that. If you look at the giant bezel of the current Air you can see that there is room to put in a 15" and keep the same footprint. In other words same Air, just a revision.
ribminster said 4:24PM on 1-19-2009
"If the rumors are true, it's unclear how likely a larger MacBook Air will be"
If the rumors are true, then a larger Macbook Air is 100% likely. Just sayin'
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Robert Palmer said 4:37PM on 1-19-2009
Huh ... when I submitted the story, it had the word "utile" instead of "likely" in there. I've changed it back.
Thanks for letting me know!
Michael Rose said 4:50PM on 1-19-2009
I wasn't the one who changed it, but I'll wager that my co-editor, like me, had never heard the word 'utile' before except in the context of self-applied floor coverings. :-)
Robert Palmer said 4:52PM on 1-19-2009
Oh, you know me and my 15th-century vocabulary. ;)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utile
ribminster said 10:56PM on 1-19-2009
Now I'm no publishing expert, but isn't an editor supposed to correct mistakes, not create them?
rcm3kc said 4:30PM on 1-19-2009
I'd really like to see a product like this (considering the growing irrelevance of opitical drives). However, its introduction would have to coincide with a considerable price drop for the currently available MBA. After the initial introduction it should follow logic that products which include less, cost less.
I'd go for a product like this over a standard macbook considering the substantial difference in screen real estate and decrease in weight -- if the price is right.
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timejumperone said 4:56PM on 1-19-2009
I hope the current MacBook Air drops in price (because that's what I'll buy); but if the rumored 15" MacBook Air is true AND the additional size allows an 8 hour battery good for 1000 cycles (5yr life span). Maybe. Then it will all depend on the price.
Japester said 4:56PM on 1-19-2009
Ridiculous. It violates the concept of the Air, which is Apple's subnotebook. If you need 15", you buy a MacBook Pro.
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Johnny said 4:52PM on 1-19-2009
I don't really have any need for either, but I'd pick a 17" MBP over a 15" MBA. Then again, I'd pick a 13" MB over a 13" MBA, but I'd pick a 15" MBP over all.
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Frans said 5:06PM on 1-19-2009
I'll buy one instantly, provided that it has an 250 GB drive and a built-in 3G modem. No need for an optical drive, I never use it.
Actually, I'll buy two, my wife wants one too...
I think it will be a hit product. For people that are on the road a lot, the 13'' screen is on the small side. The weight of the Air is prefect though, so a fantastic screen in a very flat and light package, woehaa!
I don't have to pay for it myself, my company will buy it, so price is not a big issue.
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Kevin said 9:31PM on 1-19-2009
is your company hiring? I could use a free MBP.
Jaybobrdmn said 5:17PM on 1-19-2009
why bigger? The future of computing is smaller - not bigger.
11 inch screen or so - sign me up.
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Tulse said 5:17PM on 1-19-2009
That's going the wrong direction in size. A 10" Air would be killer, but a larger one? Why? What market does that serve? Anyone with a real need for a large screen also needs pro-level performance, which the Air will never deliver.
A smaller Air could serve as Apple's version of a netbook, and would be a fantastic product, but a bigger one?
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yo said 5:43PM on 1-19-2009
I've been waiting for a thin 15" Air. I'll be the first to buy one
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Matt Kern said 5:28PM on 1-19-2009
To me, this would be the stupidest thing Apple could ever do. The 15" Macbook Pro isn't bulky, nor heavy. The point of an Air is to be ultra portable, going to the 15" form-factor, no matter how thin, would be defeating the purpose. If you have problems with vision press either + (command plus), or option8 (command, option, 8) followed by option+ (command option plus). I would even go as far as to say that it would be nice to see a 13" Macbook Air with an option for a higher resolution display. For me, a larger display is not about being able to see things more easily, but about having higher resolution, and in turn more workspace. Imagine a 13" Air with 1680x1050! Even just going from the 1280x800 to 1440x900 would be nice.
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Matt said 5:27PM on 1-19-2009
Look at the proliferation of sites showing how to put OSX on non-native Mac Netbooks to see the way the market is wanting to go.
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vandil said 5:47PM on 1-19-2009
I'll believe it when I see it. I don't care how many overseas components manufacturers get big orders from Apple in recent time.
Anyone disappointed about the lack of a new Mac Mini at MacWorld should have learned his/her lesson by now.
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arnan said 6:25PM on 1-19-2009
i'd rather expect a smaller, say 10", MBA... Not bigger.
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