Getting a new 15-inch MacBook Air after WWDC will be much easier this time around

As rumors continue to swirl that Apple will finally announce the oft-rumored 15-inch MacBook Air during WWDC23 a new report adds further fuel to that fire.

That report claims that Apple’s suppliers are getting their ducks in a row ahead of the unveiling, making sure that they have enough laptops on hand should sales figures prove positive.

How many laptops? “Stockpiling” is the word being thrown around, suggesting there are plenty of 15-inch MacBook Airs on hand. As well there should be — this is already shaping up to be the best Mac for a whole ton of people thanks to its large screen, M2 performance, and what is sure to be impressive battery life.

Great expectations

This is all according to trade publication DigiTimes (opens in new tab) whose paywalled report was first picked up by MacRumors (opens in new tab).

If Apple’s suppliers really are stockpiling laptops it could mean that picking one up won’t be all that difficult. The report suggests that Apple itself isn’t expecting to sell a huge number of 15-inch models initially, citing unnamed industry sources.

That’s perhaps a surprise, however. The 13-inch MacBook Air is already an excellent laptop thanks to its super-fast M2 chip and gorgeous display. But the 15-inch version will take things up a notch, giving buyers the larger display that they would normally have to buy a 16-inch MacBook Pro to get. While not quite as big, the 15-inch MacBook Air is extremely likely to cost a lot less as well.

Despite previous rumors that the 15-inch MacBook Air would be the first to sport Apple’s next-generation M3 silicon, that now doesn’t appear to be the case after all. Instead, the M2 is expected to get another outing with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of the belief that versions with differing core counts will be offered.

[Prediction update and revision]1. The new 15″ MacBook model should be named MacBook Air.2. To reiterate, the upcoming 15″ MacBook Air will feature the M2 series and offer two processor spec options. However, two options are more likely to be M2 with different cores (similar… https://t.co/Co4YJhbXO3April 20, 2023

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The 15-inch MacBook Air won’t have WWDC all to itself. The rumored Reality Pro AR/VR headset is also expected to be shown for the first time, making the event’s June 5 opening keynote a must-watch for many.

The headset is expected to be a costly affair with prices upwards of $3,000 already mentioned. It isn’t likely to ship for months after the announcement anyway, allowing developers time to get their apps ready for sales to begin later this year if the rumors are true.

As for the 15-inch MacBook Air, that’s likely to go on sale shortly after the event.