According to an analyst report, production of the new MacBook Air with a 15.5-inch display, which was actually expected in the spring, has now started. In a research note on Friday, the Morgan Stanley bank writes that Apple’s contract manufacturer Quanta Computer has started ramping up production. It is to be expected that the output of notebooks at the manufacturer will increase by a single-digit percentage in the second quarter of 2023.
Slight increase in production
Quanta Computer is one of the long-standing contract manufacturers for Apple and is headquartered in Taiwan. The production facilities are mainly in China, but also in Vietnam and India. Where the new MacBook Air will be made has not yet leaked out – but it should probably remain the People’s Republic. The increase in production activity at Quanta is primarily being driven by Apple, Morgan Stanley said. A presentation at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) is currently expected on June 5, i.e. in two weeks.
Apple has had two models of the MacBook Air in its range for years, but never a 15.5-inch model. There is currently one variant, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air M2. It was released a year ago and comes in a new form factor with MagSafe power delivery and two USB-C ports (Thunderbolt / USB 4). A hub may be required for additional accessories. The computer is currently the lightest and most compact device in the Apple notebook range.
New form factor, old SoC
According to previous reports, the MacBook Air 15 will stick with the M2 SoC from last year. Apparently, Apple didn’t manage to ramp up production of the more powerful M3 in time. It remains unclear whether Apple will give the new notebook more ports due to the larger form factor – but it is not really likely. It also remains to be seen whether Apple will overtake the MacBook Air 13, for example with more CPU and graphics cores.
The long-awaited Mac Pro with Apple Silicon could finally be presented at WWDC 2023. However, it looks like there will be another shift here, as Apple is likely to focus primarily on the presentation of its first mixed reality headset at the keynote. MacBook Pro models with M3 are not expected before autumn or even spring 2024. The iMac, which has not been updated for a long time, will probably also be due for a refresh later.
(bsc)