Apple Is Working on a New 15-Inch MacBook Air and 12-Inch MacBook [Update]

BY Chandraveer Mathur

Published 13 Jun 2022

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A new 14.1-inch iPad Pro is rumored to debut early next year, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports new form factors are also in the pipeline for the MacBook lineup.

15-Inch MacBook Air

Gurman claims Apple is developing a new 15-inch MacBook Air for 2023, a new 12-inch model, and upgrades to the existing 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The report says the 15-inch MacBook Air could resemble a “wider version of the 13.6-inch MacBook Air” and debut as soon as the spring of next year. The 15-inch model would use the same design as the current-generation 13.6-inch variant. The report suggests Apple originally planned to launch the new 15-inch variant in 2022. However, plans have been shelved, and the company is focused on developing the 13.6-inch MacBook Air instead. The larger variant could be announced as soon as early 2023 at a spring event.

12-Inch MacBook

According to the report, Apple is also developing a smaller 12-inch MacBook, although its naming remains shrouded in mystery. Notably, the iPhone maker has not offered a 12-inch notebook since the 12-inch Retina MacBook, which has been obsolete since 2019. Gurman speculates that this tiny MacBook could debut at the end of 2023 or early 2024.

Updated MacBook Pros

Lastly, an internal refresh is said to be on the cards for the current-generation 13.9-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The revised models, codenamed J414 and J416, could sport new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. Gurman says the chips could debut by the end of this year but also cautions that the notebooks won’t be “radically new products,” and the chips could also be delayed until 2023.

The M2 Max chip is rumored to pack a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU, up from the 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU of the current-generation M1 Max chip.

Lastly, Gurman mentions that the Cupertino-based company is developing a new Mac mini, new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, and M3 chips for machines to follow.

Update: Display Analyst Ross Young Expresses Skepticism

In a tweet shared with Super Followers, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young said he remains “skeptical” about the likelihood of a 12-inch MacBook model. 

“We are skeptical on a 12-inch MacBook (sic) at this point. Apple’s strategy for notebooks is currently 13-inch and larger. Companies in the MacBook Pro display supply chain we talked to are not aware of it.”

Young is a reliable source for leaks, especially those pertaining to displays, their sizes, configurations, and specifications. 

[Via Bloomberg]