MacBook Air

Intel prevented Apple from making a 15-inch MacBook Air: “It just did not say ‘Air’ to us”

Chance Miller | Jul 3 2023 - 11:46 am PT

Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air has been a hit among early buyers, including yours truly. In a new interview with Inc, Apple product marketing executives explain what went into creating the machine – attributing it largely to the flexibility provided by Apple Silicon chips compared to Intel.

Inc’s Jason Aten had the chance to talk to Apple’s Laura Metz from Mac product marketing and Thomas Tan from enterprise product marketing about the 15-inch MacBook Air.

According to Metz, Apple set out to make a 15-inch MacBook Air during the Intel era, but it simply wasn’t feasible. “It just did not say ‘Air’ to us, Metz explained. With the advent of Apple Silicon, however, this changed:

When we set out, we wanted to make a 15-inch MacBook Air. But when you think of what the designs looked like previously, it just didn’t work. It just did not say ‘Air’ to us. It was only with Apple Silicon where we were able to have all the right components to bring that larger display along with the battery life and performance that users would expect from a MacBook Air.

Metz also reiterated something that Apple repeatedly emphasized during its WWDC keynote: “The 15-inch PC laptop market is significant.” Apple knew that there were users who “wanted more screen real estate” than the 13-inch MacBook Air but “did not need the additional capabilities and performance” of the MacBook Pro.

One area in particular where buyers wanted that larger screen size, according to Tan, is in the enterprise market.

“Apple Silicon suddenly made MacBook Air that much more capable for business use,” said Tan. “So we’re certainly seeing a lot of customers making that wholesale switch that otherwise we wouldn’t have seen before.”

You can check out the full interview over at Inc.