The MacRumors Show: Apple's New MacBook Air With M3!

by

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's new MacBook Air models featuring the M3 chip.

Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos

We delve into the new machines' features, exploring upgrades such as the M3 chip, improved microphones, and more versatile external display support. We discuss the MacBook Air's ideal configurations and key buying decisions, weighing the new machines up against the MacBook Pro, and take a look at where the ‌MacBook Air‌ could be headed next amid reports of an significant upgrade to OLED display technology in the future. We also discuss the rest of Apple's rumored announcements for March, which include new OLED iPad Pro models, a new Apple Pencil, and a redesigned Magic Keyboard accessory.

The MacRumors Show is now on its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips going forward:

Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel!

You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.


If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about Apple's decision to cancel its long-rumored electric vehicle project.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Kevin Nether, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Luke Miani, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.

Tag: The MacRumors Show

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
Read Full Article
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
Read Full Article • 57 comments
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
Read Full Article • 158 comments
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
Read Full Article • 64 comments
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
Read Full Article • 147 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Read Full Article • 115 comments
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
Read Full Article • 64 comments
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Read Full Article • 66 comments
iPhone Car Key Kia

Another Vehicle Brand Gaining iPhone Car Keys Support

Tuesday October 28, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to bring support for its digital car key feature to Jetour vehicles, according to evidence uncovered on Apple's backend by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. Introduced in 2022, Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done by holding an Apple Watch or...
Read Full Article • 15 comments

Top Rated Comments

Sixteengigabytes Avatar
Sixteengigabytes
22 months ago
8GB ram though. Seems beyond stingy at this point. Not sure if it’s the increased rate of obsolescence and lack of future proofing, or the $300 to add 8GB extra ram, either way I’ll skip this generation yet again. Customers can play this game too, Apple. Make 16gb ram standard and I’ll open my wallet.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SoldOnApple Avatar
SoldOnApple
22 months ago
If the Air came with 32 or 64GB of RAM I may have considered it. I guess that's what the Pro and Max is for.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
Fuzzball84
22 months ago

If the Air came with 32 or 64GB of RAM I may have considered it. I guess that's what the Pro and Max is for.
The Air is just not designed for that memory spec… you're well into the spec of Macbook Pro etc with that memory requirement.

The Air is a product for the average consumer apple sells to… and the vast majority will take the base model with 8 GB.

Its like telling people you'd consider a fiat 500, if it came with an engine you'd find in a Ferrari.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redcarlsen Avatar
redcarlsen
22 months ago
It's funny the way they talk about a $1k+ machine as being good for people..... Whose tasks would just as easily be fulfilled by a $200 Chromebook or tablet. Lol.
30 years of exponential processing power advancement! Now you can check email and listen to music!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DrewHawk Avatar
DrewHawk
22 months ago

The Air is just not designed for that memory spec… you're well into the spec of Macbook Pro etc with that memory requirement.

The Air is a product for the average consumer apple sells to… and the vast majority will take the base model with 8 GB.

Its like telling people you'd consider a fiat 500, if it came with an engine you'd find in a Ferrari.
So this is the problem with Apple's strategy. They are many of use choosing the Air for its light weight only. I want every possible spec possible while keeping it at this weight. Look at the Dell XPS 13. It's specced out like crazy with one of the best screens I have ever seen. The only thing the XPS doesn't have is a good GPU and that's because if they added it it would need a major cooling solution that would make it big and heavy.

They need to stop treating the Air as the "Mainstream budget" model and start just making it as the best ultralight on the market. I would be fine with an Air that cost more than the Pro if it was still 2.7 lbs and had an OLED etc.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SoldOnApple Avatar
SoldOnApple
22 months ago

The Air is just not designed for that memory spec… you're well into the spec of Macbook Pro etc with that memory requirement.

The Air is a product for the average consumer apple sells to… and the vast majority will take the base model with 8 GB.

Its like telling people you'd consider a fiat 500, if it came with an engine you'd find in a Ferrari.
More like I would consider a fiat 500 if it came with a larger fuel tank.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments