Rumor of a 15-inch MacBook Air: Take it lightly
On Friday, AppleInsider noted that Apple.pro, a hit-and-miss Chinese rumor blog, claims a 15-inch MacBook Air is on the way. The post in Chinese (and a copy run through Google Translate) is available.
The site claims the new Air will use low-voltage Intel Core 2 processors, and will be geared for "the older [with] poor eyesight."
AppleInsider includes a history of Apple.pro's predictions, and so far, they're batting .500. I'm not saying I'm any better (fact is, I haven't been to the batting cages in months), so take all this with a proverbial grain of salt.
If the rumors are true, it's unclear how utile a larger MacBook Air will be, especially if the key differentiating factor of the current Air is its size and weight. While it will have to be less hefty than, say, the 15-inch MacBook Pro, a larger MacBook Air seems like it's trying to fill a gap that doesn't exist: at the highest end of Apple's notebook pricing spectrum.
As for pricing (for the US, at least), perhaps we can speculate with an analogy: If a 2.4GHz MacBook is to a 2.4GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro, then a 1.86GHz MacBook Air is to a theoretical 1.86GHz 15-inch MacBook Air. Thus, $1,600 : $2,000 :: $2,500 : $3,125. Yikes: Even more expensive than the new 17-inch model ($2,800). Maybe the analogy isn't perfect, but that's still a pricey proposition to help those with "poor eyesight."
What do you think? Is there a market for a big, ultra-premium MacBook Air? Would you buy one? Sound off in comments.
[Via Engadget.]
