While recent rumors claim that MacBook Air 2016 release is scheduled in June at Apple's Worldwide Developers' Conference, a report is saying that the MacBook Air line will be dropped.
According to MacWorld, Macbook Air 2016 will not materialize as the product line will be ceased due to the more powerful successor of 12-inch MacBook. The publication predicted that the 12-inch MacBook will most likely have a successor as it will celebrate its first birthday in March next year.
The release of a successor is prompted by the praise received by the original 12-inch MacBook. It seems that there is no longer sense for the MacBook Air 2016 release as the upcoming 12-inch MacBook will be more powerful than its predecessor with the existence of 12-inch MacBook and iPad Pro.
This is not the first time that the discontinuation of the MacBook Air line was mentioned. According to Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research, it may not be long before Apple will discontinue the line. "This wasn't the MacBook Air, but instead leaped past the Air. The kept [the MacBook Air] around just as they do with older iPhones, but the MacBook is now in the same position as the newest iPhone. That makes me wonder if the Air will go away over time," Dawson told the same publication.
Chief of research and head of US Business for Kantar World Panel Comtech Carolina Milanesi argued that Apple is moving towards mobility and portability, which will prompt the MacBook to be obsolete. This mobility is provided by the new iPad Pro.
Previous reports claimed that MacBook Air 2016 could be announced as soon as Black Friday alongside the Apple OS X El Capitan operating system.
Meanwhile, some of the purported features of the MacBook Air 2016 are 13-inch and 15-inch screen displays, Intel Skylake-U chipset, OS X El Capitan, Type-C USB port, and an improved battery life. The laptops will most likely be equipped with Force Touch technology. The MacBook Air will be even thinner than last time.
However, Apple has not confirmed the aforementioned features and release date.