The first 15-inch MacBook Air was a highlight of WWDC23, but it was a bit overshadowed by other announcements. Perhaps that’s why Apple still has units ready to be preordered for pickup on launch day, June 13.
The same is true for the upgraded Mac Studio with M2 Pro or M2 Ultra processors. And the first Mac Pro with Apple silicon is also sold out on launch day.
Apple is already taking 15-inch MacBook Air preorders
Ordinarily, the introduction of the largest consumer-oriented notebook Apple has ever offered would be a huge deal. But because the introduction of the 15.3-inch MacBook Air during the WWDC23 keynote was sandwiched between unveiling the Vision Pro AR headset, new versions of iOS and macOS, and much more, it was a bit lost in the shuffle.
That’s why many people might not realize that Apple is already taking preorders for this macOS notebook, and the computer will start reaching customers on Tuesday, June 13.
The 2023 MacBook Air is built around an Apple M2 processor. And it keeps the same slim and light design that premiered in the 13.6-inch MacBook Air released in 2022, just expanded a bit for the larger display.
The price starts at $1,299 when configured with 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage. An order placed at the time of this writing from the online Apple store can still be picked up from an Apple store on launch day. Delivery has slipped to June 14 but that’s because Apple doesn’t do next-day delivery.
Slowing demand for computers of all types — Mac and Windows — might also help explain why Apple hasn’t sold out of its prerelease stock.
New Mac Studio and Mac Pro also up for preorder
Photo: Apple
The super-size MacBook Air isn’t the only new hardware in Apple’s lineup. The Mac Studio desktop got a speed boost courtesy of either an M2 Pro or M2 Ultra. The computer launched in 2022 with an M1 series processor, and Apple says the M2 Ultra is up to three-times faster than its predecessor.
It can be preordered now from the Apple store starting at $1,999 with M2 Max or $3,999 for M2 Ultra. Orders placed at the time of this writing can be picked up at an Apple store on launch day, June 13. However, orders placed for delivery won’t arrive until early July.
And another announcement that would have been a bigger deal under other circumstances is the Mac Pro finally leaving Intel processors behind. The new version of the tower uses an M2 Ultra processor and comes with an array of ports. The base model has 64GB of unified motor and 1TB of storage, but can be preconfigured up to 192GB of RAM and/or an 8TB SSD.
The price starts at $6,999, and preorders began after the WWDC23 keynote that unveiled the computer.
Unlike the new MacBook Air and Mac Studio, demand for this model exceeded pre-release supply. An order placed at the time of this writing from the online Apple store will be delivered between June 21 and June 23, or the device can be picked up at an Apple store on June 23.
This article was first published June 10. It was updated on June 12 with fresh information.
