Introduction
Update: Want to know our 15-inch MacBook Air productivity wish list? Read about the solutions that would most benefit the new model here.
The MacBook Air has been with us for eight years and it's barely changed in that time: the rumored Retina display hasn't made it onto it yet despite last year's frenzied rumors.
It's been a whole year since the last minor speed bump and the Airs are still rocking Intel Broadwell processors, rather than the company's sixth-generation Skylake variants.
That means the time is ripe for a new model, and rumors suggest that there could be some radical changes. They might include the retirement of the 11-inch MacBook Air and the introduction of a 15-inch version instead, a claim that has been reiterated several times over most recently by Japanese tech blog Macotakara who says the refresh will be announced in June.
That's assuming Apple intends to keep the Air, however. And it might not, because having two product lines - the 12-inch MacBook and the MacBook Pro - is a lot simpler. Here's what we know so far.
MacBook Air 2016 release date
Apple tends to sneak out minor updates with minimal fanfare, but if the MacBook Air 2016 has the improvements we expect then we'd expect Tim Cook to make a fuss about it, most likely at WWDC in June. A minor tweak to last year's MacBook Airs, however, would likely result in a news release sent out to the press.
At least one source, Economic Daily News, believes that the on-sale date will be in Q3 2016; in Apple's world that's the financial quarter ending in June. Macotakara, however, has cited a different (and more specific) release frame for the forthcoming MacBook Air lineup: August 2016. This report allegedly stems from a Chinese supplier bearing a close working relationship with Apple.
MacBook Air 2016 price
The current MacBook Air starts at £749 ($899, AU$1,399) for the 11-inch model and £849 ($999, AU$1,549) for the 13-inch. Apple tends to stick to its favorite price points, but one tasty rumor suggests that, while the prices will remain the same, the sizes will increase - so, you'll see a 13-inch Air at £749 and a 15-inch model at £849 to start.
Then again, that rumor comes courtesy of Digitimes and Digitimes' track record in Apple rumors is patchy to say the least. Economic Daily News believes that the price will go down and up: down for the 13-inch, but up for the 15-inch.
MacBook Air 2016: thinner, lighter, more powerful
Reports from Economic Daily News late last year predicted a "significant refresh" of the Air line-up in mid-2016. EDN's sources say the new Airs are significantly thinner and lighter than the current models, with new batteries and cooling systems, Intel Skylake processors and USB-C.
We've already seen USB-C in the MacBook, which owes much of its thinness to removing all the ports, and USB-C in the Air would enable Jonathan Ive to shave a few more millimeters off the Air too.
Some rumors predict TouchID fingerprint recognition, but we think that's wishful thinking: the source for that particular prediction also promised that TouchID was coming to the revamped Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad late last year. It wasn't. However, Apple has since filed a patent for a Magic Mouse with Force Touch tech, so the report might have been on the money after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment