While the 2016 Apple MacBook Air has yet to come out of the retail markets, speculations are rife that it could be the last offering in the American tech giant’s notebook line.
According to analysts, the Apple MacBook line has too many products that compete against each other which is the main reason why the American tech giant gets an overall poor sales result from it.
With the release of the Apple iPad Pro this month, many believe that it is about time for the Cupertino-based tech company to do some streamlining of its MacBook Air line.
According to Carolina Milanesi, chief of research and head of US business for Kantar World Panel Comtech, the 2016 MacBook Air should not be around much longer than it should.
She adds that all notebooks need to be more mobile so something like the MacBook Air does not need to be branched out anymore. She also says that Apple will benefit if it does not have so many families of Macs, cites Australia Network News.
That assessment has resulted to rumors that the upcoming 2016 Apple MacBook Air could be the last of the notebook line because Apple wants to give priority to the iPad Pro. After all, the two mobile products practically have the same function and usability.
Another analyst, Jack Dawson of Jackdaw Research, said that Apple has kept the MacBook Air around just as it did with its older iPhones, but the MacBook is now in the same position as the newest iPhone. He added that it is possible that the MacBook Air will be phased out over time, notes the Parent Herald.
Release date of the notebook
If the latest rumors on the release date of the 2016 Apple MacBook Air are to be believed, the latest notebook line from the American tech giant may actually come out to the market anytime from today until January 2016.
Accordingly, the release date window for the 2016 MacBook Air has been specified between this month up to January 2016.
November as the release date of Apple’s latest notebook has made it to the rumor mill because previous reports said that the 2016 MacBook Air could actually come out during the Black Friday weekend.
Black Friday is the biggest sales event in the US, immediately following the Thanksgiving celebration. It is where Americans get the best deals and great bargains on practically anything they want to buy for their own or Christmas gifts to their loved ones and friends.
But according to some sources, Apple has intentionally delayed the release of its 2016 MacBook Air and also the 2016 MacBook Pro to early next year for one major reason. Having just launched the iPad Pro in September which only made it to the retail markets this month, Apple does not want two of its products vying for the same consumer segment.
A strategic reason
Apparently, Apple does not want its 2016 MacBook Air to go head-to-head in the market with the iPad Pro because the latest laptop could actually eat up on the market of the giant tablet. The Cupertino-based tech company has positioned the iPad Pro as a laplet or a combination of a laptop and tablet so releasing a new full-fledged laptop would cannibalize the market of its latest iPad.
Reports have it that Apple is planning to release its 2016 MacBook Air and 2016 MacBook Pro along with the iPad Air 3 early next year, but everything is still up in the air pending the confirmation from the American tech giant.