15-inch MacBook Air panel production reportedly ramping up ahead of upcoming launch

We’ve been hearing a lot of rumors about a new 15-inch MacBook Air, and even 9to5Mac has shared exclusive details about this model. Now DSCC analyst Ross Young said that Apple’s suppliers are ramping up production of the display panels for the new MacBook, which suggests that the launch could happen soon.

A new 15-inch MacBook Air is on the way

According to Young, the production of the panels for the 15-inch MacBook Air began in February and was ramped up in March. The analyst says that production is expected to ramp up once again now in April, ahead of the official announcement of the new laptop in the coming weeks.

But even Young doesn’t know when exactly Apple plans to introduce this new 15-inch MacBook Air, and there are some conflicting reports about it. “Don’t know the precise launch timing, but would assume late April/early May,” the analyst said. But according to 9to5Mac’s sources, the launch may happen in June at WWDC 2023.

9to5Mac has heard from sources that Apple has been working on a new generation of the MacBook Air with the yet to be announced M3 chip. This new generation is said to be developed with two different models, one with a 13-inch display and one with a 15-inch display. The new laptops are code-named J513 and J515, respectively.

The company has also been planning to upgrade the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 chip. Given that the M2 chip was announced last June at WWDC 2022, it seems logical that both the new chip and the first Macs equipped with it will be announced at this year’s conference.

The M3 chip will have an 8-core CPU, just like M1 and M2. And neither the MacBook Air nor the 13-inch MacBook Pro will have versions with more powerful variants of the M3 chip.

More new hardware to come at WWDC

In addition to new MacBooks, Apple is expected to unveil its first mixed-reality headset at WWDC 2023. There were also rumors that the company had been working on a new generation Studio Display with Mini-LED panel and ProMotion technology. But Ross Young said on Monday that the company has ruled out that project “at least for now.”

It’s worth noting that WWDC 2023 will take place June 5-9, with a special opening event at Apple Park.

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