It’s kind of hard to get my hopes up about the rumored MacBook Air that Apple is allegedly launching at Apple's June 5 event. Don’t get me wrong; last year’s Air was pretty impressive – enough to earn 4.5 stars in our review. But pouring a blue-black coat of paint that Apple calls midnight, giving it a bigger screen and a slightly more portable body, and slapping on a higher resolution webcam aren't the most exciting additions.
Besides, I've been waiting so long for a bright and vibrant MacBook Air that’s supposed to come in the same colorways as the iMac 24-inch. It just never happened, despite all the excitement behind it
And while the MacBook Air M2 2022 did get a nice design upgrade, Apple still held back, which is classic Apple. God forbid it rolls out an extensive overhaul and gives us everything we want in a single device; it won’t make money off of us the year when a 'new and improved' version comes out, and times are tough for billion-dollar businesses too.
Snarky comment out of the way, I thought I’d put together a list of all the things I want to see on the MacBook Air 2023 (and one thing I really don’t want to see) when WWDC 2023 rolls around. Because honestly, while there are many things that Mac does better than Windows, Apple seems to be getting left behind in innovation in many ways. And, it’s been happening for a few years now.
1. Not a 15-inch Air
Why, god?! Why?
While some of us are starting to believe that a 15-inch MacBook Air is happening, the best thing about the Air is that it’s incredibly portable. It manages to stay thin, compact and lightweight, giving you enough power for creative work and a long enough battery life to outlast your workday. Do we really want to change that with a 15-inch model? Though there are exceptions to the rule, a big screen almost always means a heavy laptop, which kind of defeats the purpose of the Air, doesn’t it?
Of course, there’s no stopping this train. The MacBook Air 15-inch has already been spotted in testing, and all signs point to a WWDC 2023 launch. So I'm really just moaning at this point. I only hope that it’s physics-defyingly lightweight like the LG gram 16. Otherwise, what’s the point?
2. A cheaper price tag
In this economy, getting a pricey laptop is the last thing on people’s minds. Not especially when there are so many affordable options that are just as great or even better (such as the best Lenovo laptops).
Unfortunately, last year’s overhaul of the MacBook Air also came with a price increase, starting at $1,199 / £1,249 / AU$1,899 – $200 / £250 more than the M1 model (which remains on sale and offers better value).
So, I demand a cheaper price tag, Apple. And honestly, it's not a bad idea to make that happen if you want people to still buy your products.
3. An OLED screen
Apparently, we might not even see an OLED display on a MacBook until 2024, perhaps even 2026, which to be very honest is a mistake. According to rumors though, this decision is likely due to several factors including the drop in MacBook sales and difficulties in scaling up production of OLED displays. So, it may be out of Apple’s control, considering that its partnership with LG fell apart due to the same production issue.
But seeing as many of the best Windows laptops are sporting their own gorgeous OLED display, Apple is kind of getting left behind. In fact, I recently played the same episode of Wednesday on a MacBook Pro and on an Acer OLED laptop, and Acer’s display came out superior in terms of colors, making viewing a little more immersive despite the fact that that display barely had any anti-reflection coating.
I’d really love to see an OLED MacBook Air launch at WWDC 2023, and I’m sure a lot of Apple fans would as well.
4. At least an SD port
That whole 'USB-C ports only' initiative failed spectacularly for many reasons. People still needed other ports primarily because a lot of devices and accessories still haven’t gotten on the USB-C bandwagon.
Creative professionals and content creators, especially, needed that variety of ports on their laptops, particularly an SD card reader and an HDMI port and Apple kind of learned the hard way that it just cannot control what consumers need.
So much so that it decided to bring back the variety in ports in its newer MacBook Pro models, which is appropriate considering their target audience. I’d love to see Apple do the same for its MacBook Air as well. After all, many professionals also rely on the Airs for their daily workload.
5. A mint MacBook Air to match my iMac
Honestly, I just want colors, like any of us who grew up in the iBook era when I could choose from four different fun colors on top of graphite. The midnight shade is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also another neutral addition to an already neutral selection.
It feels like Apple is trying its best to keep that minimalist fire burning. The problem is, we are now in the maximalism era, and it’s all about bright, vibrant colors, baby!
Also, I really just wants a mint MacBook Air to match my iMac 24-inch. Is that too much to ask?
