Connect with us

Technologies

The Case for a 15-Inch MacBook Air

Commentary: Apple doesn’t currently offer a 15-inch laptop, and hasn’t had a different MacBook Air size since 2016.

Apple’s iconic MacBook Air laptop is only available with a 13-inch screen, for now. 

A steady stream of rumors points to a new 15-inch MacBook Air debuting at Apple’s upcoming WWDC conference keynote on June 5. The latest not-quite-confirmation comes from Bloomberg’s noted Apple prognosticator, Mark Gurman, who previously said the new 15-inch Air will join WatchOS 10, iOS 17, MacOS 15 and Apple’s long-awaited mixed-reality headset, and more recently tweeted that he expects «several new Macs» at the event. 

In addition to the rumored 15-inch Air, that could mean an updated Mac Studio desktop, updates to the current 13-inch Air and Pro models, or even the long-promised Mac Pro desktop, which is Apple’s only remaining Intel-powered computer. 

This would not be the first time Apple has offered a MacBook Air in a different screen size. From 2010 to 2016, the company offered an 11-inch MacBook Air, which we reviewed several times during its six-year lifespan

Apple MacBook Air (11-inch, 2013) Apple MacBook Air (11-inch, 2013)

The 11-inch MacBook Air. 

Read more: Best MacBook for 2023

Following that, Apple released the 12-inch MacBook (minus the «Air»). That small system ended up being one of my favorite laptops of all time, but it has sadly also been discontinued. 

Further, Apple’s long-standing 15-inch MacBook Pro vanished in 2019, replaced by new 14-inch and 16-inch versions, leaving Apple without a 15-inch laptop, which is still one of the most common screen sizes for Windows laptops.  

Apple Macbook 12-inch 2017 Apple Macbook 12-inch 2017

The 12-inch MacBook.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Throughout all this, the 13-inch Air has remained a standard, although the exact screen dimensions shifted a bit between the 16:10 aspect ratio of the M1 Air and the slightly larger 3:2 aspect ratio of the newer M2 MacBook Air. 

But there’s an excellent case to be made for a 15-inch version of the MacBook Air. The 13-inch MacBook Air remains my default choice as the single most universally useful laptop for most people. But a 13-inch screen, no matter how good, isn’t necessarily big enough to be your all-day, everyday laptop. Especially if, like me, you have a set of aging eyes, bigger screens are becoming more important.  

The problem is that the least-expensive 14-inch MacBook Pro is $1,999. The least-expensive 16-inch MacBook Pro is $2,499. That’s a big jump from the $1,199 13-inch MacBook Air. 

31-apple-macbook-pro-15-inch-2018 31-apple-macbook-pro-15-inch-2018

A 15-inch MacBook Pro from 2018. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

The idea of jumping into a larger 15-inch screen for a MacBook Air, using the same M2 chip as the 13-inch Air is an appealing one, especially if it adds only a modest premium to the price. Personally, I’d say around $1,300 to $1,400 would be a reasonable starting price, if you assume it would have specs similar to those of the 13-inch M2 Air. 

15macbookair 15macbookair
Watch this: Why Apple Needs a 15-inch MacBook Air

03:51

This is far from the first time we’ve talked about this. A quick Google search revealed that I wrote about the potential appeal of a 15-inch MacBook Air way back in 2012. According to a poll we ran in 2012, a 15-inch Air was the winner among CNET readers for the most-anticipated laptop of 2012.

We were clearly jumping the gun back then, but a mere decade later, it may finally be time to give the MacBook Air a supersized option. 

Technologies

Google I/O 2025: How to Watch and What to Expect

With Android 16 out of the way, Google I/O will certainly be all about AI.

Google I/O 2025 takes place on May 20 and 21 with Google’s big keynote happening on day 1. We expect Big G to talk about its myriad innovations across its ever-expanding portfolio of products — almost certainly with a huge focus on AI every step of the way. If we collectively cross our fingers, promise to be good and eat all our vegetables then we may even be treated to a sneak peek at upcoming hardware. 

Read more: Android 16: Everything Google Announced at the Android Show

Google also hosted a totally separate event that focused solely on Android. The Android Show: I/O Edition saw the wrappers come off Android 16, with insights into the new Material 3 Expressive interface, updates to security and a focus on Gemini and how it’ll work on a variety of other devices. 

By breaking out Android news into its own virtual event, Google frees itself to spend more time during the I/O keynote to talk about Gemini, Deep Mind, Android XR and Project Astra. It’s going to be a jam-packed event, so here’s how you can watch I/O 2025 as it happens and what you can look forward to.

Google I/O: Where to watch

Google I/O proper kicks off with a keynote taking place on May 20, 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT, 6 p.m. BST). It’ll almost certainly be available to stream online on Google’s own YouTube channel, although a holding video is yet to be available. There’s no live link on the I/O website yet, either, though you can use the handy links to add the event to your calendar of choice. Expect links to a livestream to be available closer to the day.

What to expect from Google I/O 2025

Little chat about Android 16: As Google gave Android 16 its own outing already, it’s likely that it won’t be mentioned all that much during I/O. In fact at last year’s event, Android was barely mentioned, while uses of the term «AI» went well over a hundred. 

Android XR: Google didn’t talk much about Android XR during the Android show, focusing instead on the purely phone-based updates to the platform. We expected to hear more about the company’s latest foray into mixed-reality headsets in partnership with Samsung and its Project Moohan headset, so it’s possible that this is being saved for I/O proper. 

Gemini: With Android being spun out into its own separate event, Google is evidently clearing the way for I/O to focus on everything else the company does. AI will continue to dominate the conversation at I/O, just as it did last year (though hopefully Google can make it more understandable) with updates to many of its AI platforms expected to be announced. 

Gemini is expected to receive a variety of update announcements, including more information on its latest 2.5 Pro update which boasts various improvements to its reasoning abilities, and in particular to its helpfulness for coding applications. Expect lots of mentions of Google’s other AI-based products, too, including DeepMind, LearnLM and Project Astra. Let’s just hope Google has figured out how to make this information make any kind of sense.

Beyond AI, Google may talk about updates to its other products including GMail, Chrome and the Play Store, although whether these updates are big enough to be discussed during the keynote rather than as part of the developer-focused sessions following I/O’s opening remains to be seen.

Continue Reading

Technologies

You Can Now Buy Nike’s $900 Workout Shoes for Compression and Heating

The Nike Hyperboots, designed to help you warm up and recover from workouts, launched Saturday.

Those workout shoes with compression and heating that Nike and Hyperice showed off at CES 2025 earlier this year weren’t just a concept. The Hyperboot is now available to buy online in North America, so they’re within reach, as long as you’re willing to spend $899.

The high-tops, which Nike and Hyperice call a wearable much like your smartwatch, help your feet warm up before a workout, and then recover after it. The shoes do this with heating and air-compression massage technology, taking the idea of heating pads and compression socks and making them mobile.

«You can definitely feel the heat in here,» CNET former mobile senior writer Lisa Eadicicco said when she had the chance to try these workout shoes on in January. She walked across a demo room in Las Vegas wearing the fancy footwear to test out the compression and heating features.

The boots massage and compress your ankles and feet, and in CNET’s test, we could especially feel the heat around the ankles. Buttons on the shoes let you adjust compression and the amount of heat with multiple settings for each.

«The Hyperboot contains a system of dual-air bladders that deliver sequential compression patterns and are bonded to thermally efficient heating elements that evenly distribute heat throughout the shoe’s entire upper,» Nike said.

The battery lasts for 1 to 1.5 hours on max heat and compression settings, or 8 hours if you’re only using the massage setting. It takes 5 to 6 hours to charge via USB-C cable. The boots come in five sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL.

Continue Reading

Technologies

You’re Wasting $200 on Subscriptions You Forgot About, CNET Survey Finds. How to Put an End to ‘Subscription Creep’

Continue Reading

Trending