The rumored OLED MacBook Air delays aren’t a bad thing – the last thing I want is a price increase
- A new rumor suggests that the OLED MacBook Air has been delayed until 2029
- OLED technology could drive up the price, so a delay isn’t the worst news
- By 2029, OLED could be much more affordable
Apple’s MacBook Air is of surprising quality considering it’s the company’s most affordable laptop, with a lightning-fast chip and excellent build quality that make it feel much more premium than it should. Yet it’s always lacked a true flagship display – an OLED screen – and a new rumor suggests we’ll now have to wait until 2029 for this technology to make its debut in Apple’s laptop.
That’s what the leaker says Jukanlosreve on Xquoting the Korean outlet The Electric to claim that the apparent poor sales performance of the OLED iPad Pro has caused Apple to delay the release date of the OLED MacBook Air. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a delay to the OLED MacBook Air, and it may sound strange to hear it, but I’m actually glad there’s more evidence that it’s been delayed.
That’s not because I’m a partisan OLED hater – no, I’d love to see an OLED panel grace the MacBook Air one day. But I worry that adding OLED would compromise the MacBook Air’s best feature: its price.
OLED is a costly addition to any computer, and there’s no doubt that introducing OLED to the MacBook Air would drive up its price. Right now you can buy an M2 MacBook Air for under $1,000, while the fast M3 model costs just $100/£100 more. How long could we keep saying this if OLED was part of the equation?
Still the best Apple laptop for most people
After all, the MacBook Air isn’t a laptop designed for Apple’s most demanding users; that is a role that the MacBook Pro fulfills. Instead, the MacBook Air is for everyone, and the combination of a fair price and a dash of quality features means it’s the best Apple laptop for most people in most cases.
I’d wager that the majority of Apple’s MacBook Air customers care far more about price than their laptop’s display technology. After all, they are not demanding professionals who need the best of the best; they just want a solid laptop that will perform well enough for their needs and last for years to come. The MacBook Air currently fulfills that role excellently. Would this be possible if it got a high-end upgrade that its users didn’t need and a price increase they definitely didn’t want?
Ultimately, The Elec’s report doesn’t say Apple will do that never bring OLED to the MacBook Air, only that it’s been delayed until 2029. By then, OLED costs may have fallen enough that the price impact will be minimal, in which case we could have our cake and eat it too.
That would be a good time to introduce OLED on the MacBook Air. But right now, keeping the price down is probably what most MacBook Air fans care about more.