MacBook Pro 2016 Release Date Happening Soon with Skylake, AMD Polaris GPU and Intel Integrated Graphics? (Photo : Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)
Avid users of the MacBook Air wonder whether a 2016 model can still be expected this year, given that the laptop has not seen an update in awhile.
According to Ecumenical News, the MacBook Air had a minor update in April 2016 via a memory upgrade. Aside from this upgrade, no other changes were observed in the MacBook Air.
Tech savvy fans were waiting for Apple's announcement of a new model during the last Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) and were quite disappointed when no word was mentioned about the MacBook Air 2016. However, tech correspondent Christina Warren assured fans that the MacBook Air model will not be phased out in MacBook stores, despite its lack of upgrades. Apple will most probably halt production of MacBook Air but will maximize its resources by selling out every MacBook Air stock they have left.
Perhaps, another reason why there has been no talk about a new MacBook Air is because the newest model of the MacBook Pro 2016 will be the lovechild of the Air and Pro. The 2016 MacBook Pro will feature a new and improved operating system, using Intel's latest Skylake processors. Additionally, the 2016 MacBook Pro is apparently adapting the physique of the MacBook Air, featuring a thinner and lighter design.
In addition, it will have OLED function keys, touch ID fingerprint scanning, wireless charging, USB-C/Thunderbolt, amongst new upgrades. Since the MacBook Air's main selling point is its light weight and thin physique, MacBook Pro 2016's adaptation of this very physicality may indeed result to the death of MacBook Air.
Meanwhile, according to MacWorld, the loss of the MacBook Air lineup from the Apple catalogue may likely happen. Over the past few years, the tech giant has released several products that could easily replace the MacBook Air in the market.
For one, they released the 12-inch MacBook in the beginning of 2016, which is physically synonymous to the 11-inch Air. Added to this, a 12.9 inches iPad Pro was also just recently released, a product that CEO Tim Cook calls a "replacement" for any "notebook or desktop." However, due to the lack of official statements from Apple, these speculations will remain as educated guesses.
