Apple will not release the 2016 versions of the MacBook Air, instead the focus this year is on release date involving the 13-inch and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros that are slimmer and lighter than their predecessors. Essentially, the MacBook Air is dead, a new report said.
In a blog post, Apple watcher Jack March pointed to the recent debut of the smaller iPad Pro as solid indicator that Apple intends to retire the Air labelling. So following the exit of the iPad Air, it is all but confirmed that the MacBook is heading to the same route, March wrote.
The same source predicted the launch of the 12-inch MacBook. March claimed that the device was originally designed as a MacBook Air variant but Apple revised the blueprint at the last minute.
In retiring the Air label, the MacBook lineup will transition from good to better device, which is the same trend being observed on the iPad models, the blog report said.
March's post seems to align with recent reports that at the 2016 WWDC in June, Apple will introduce two MacBooks with 13-inch and 15-inch screen sizes and that the new laptops will reflect the same design and build of the 12-inch MacBook 2015. They will have Retina display.
The same laptops are significantly trimmed down and lightweight than ever. "It's more likely that Apple will launch new MacBook Pro's that are thinner (at thickest point) and lighter than the current MacBook Air models," March said, adding that a MacBook Air release will not happen this year.
"Although Apple has been rumored to launch new MacBook Airs this year, I've been given strong indication from a source that's not going to happen," the blog report said.
The March report, however, did not comment on the rumor that from Intel Broadwell chip the 2016 MacBooks will switch to Skylake, thus giving the laptops increase computing power and speed and more efficient energy use.
Speculations are also rife that the upcoming MacBooks will have a touchscreen display, a Force Touch keyboard and a detachable screen. Breathing life to the new MacBooks is OS X 10.12, which is rumored to include the iPhone bot Siri.
The MacBook Pro 2016 release date is expected to happen within or right after Apple's 2016 WWDC that reportedly will kick off June 13.