WWDC 2023 set for 6 June: New MacBook Air gets big screen upgrade

Every year at WWDC, Apple releases a number of software ecosystems, such as iOS, iPadOS and MacOS, as well as unveiling several hardware products, such as last year's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

As the time approaches, Apple has recently officially announced that WWDC 2023 will be held from 6 to 10 June Beijing time, and there are various revelations and speculations about the conference.

A combination of previously revealed information suggests that Apple will unveil a new hardware product, the 15.5-inch version of the MacBook Air, at this year's WWDC 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference. At last year's WWDC 2022, Apple unveiled the new MacBook Air, which is now available for purchase.

With a focus on thinness, portability and long battery life, it was built with Apple's new in-house developed M2 processor and featured a 13.5-inch Banzai display, while ditching its previous wedge-shaped appearance and adopting a similar design to the MacBook Pro, achieving an ultra-light weight of 1.22kg, which was favoured by many consumers.

As for the upcoming MacBook Air, some related netizens have revealed that it will popularise the large-screen version with a 15.5-inch LCD display, retaining the bangscreen design to meet the large-screen needs of certain users. Again, according to the leaked configuration, the 15.5-inch MacBook Air will not be equipped with the M3 chip directly, but with different processors for different needs.

It is thought that the 15.5-inch MacBook Air will be split into a standard and premium version, using the M2 and M2 Pro chips respectively, to give users more choice. The larger screen also means the MacBook Air will be bigger and will be able to accommodate a larger capacity battery, although overall battery life is expected to remain the same as before.

However, with such a large screen, large size and large battery, the MacBook Air's thin, light and portable positioning will be put to the test. There is also speculation that the 15.5-inch version of the MacBook may no longer be called the Air, and that Apple may split the MacBook into a new series to differentiate its positioning.

With the maturity of various supply chain technologies, a traditional 14-inch notebook can be fully embedded with a 15-16-inch display, balancing performance and weight to meet the portable needs of the user.

The trend towards larger notebooks is therefore inevitable in today's notebook market. At the same time, there is no shortage of large-screen notebooks in Apple's range, but the 16-inch product is only available in the high-end MacBook Pro range, whose high price and excessive performance are drawbacks that prevent most users from buying it.

In response to the changing market and the lack of a dedicated product line, Apple decided to launch a product that would satisfy users' need for a large screen, while at the same time meeting their specific needs in terms of battery life, performance and price.

For Apple, the MacBook Air series is a mid-range product in terms of price, power and performance that could be modified to create a notebook that meets the needs of the market.

The MacBook is the most popular product in the PC industry, but despite its performance and system experience, its lack of applications and closed ecosystem have prevented it from gaining a significant share of the global market.

In recent years, Windows laptops have been improved in terms of performance, weight and system optimisation, making them as good as MacBooks and, more importantly, cheaper than Apple's MacBooks, making the choice clear to users.

The arrival of the 15.5-inch MacBook Air is not only an improvement on Apple's own products, but also a long-term plan for the future of the PC market.