Ming-Chi Kuo, a reputable analyst of KGI Securities, and very popular for his forecast of new Apple products, recently stated that the release of the upcoming 2016 MacBook Air lines would help the American tech giant offset its lower iPhone sales, notes 9to5mac.
While Apple has remained mum as to the exact release date of the 2016 MacBook Air and the 2016 MacBook Pro, speculations have been going around on the internet that the 2016 MacBook Air could come out in March while its bigger sibling, the 2016 MacBook Pro could be released to the market sometime in June.
What seems clear among the many rumors about the 2016 MacBook Air is that it shall incorporate Intel’s Skylake processors, a much better battery and thus improve battery life, and shall be very lightweight too.
There have been rumors that the 2016 Apple MacBook Air could come in two size variants – the 13-inch edition and the 15-inch model. But as of late, there are also speculations that a third 12-inch variant may also come out.
It is likely that Apple will have an event this March where the Cupertino-based tech company will be launching the Apple Watch 2, the iPad Air 3, the iPhone 5SE, and possibly the 2016 MacBook Air.
Then, the American tech giant would have another event in June during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) where it would launch the Apple iOS 10 and the 2016 MacBook Pro.
However, it should be noted that all these dates are speculations since Apple has yet to come out with an official announcement regarding the release dates of its latest product offerings this year.
About to be replaced
There are also rumors that the Apple MacBook Air line would soon be replaced by the MacBook line.
The MacBook Air has not seen a design update in a long time, and it’s likely that a revamp would bring it closely in line with the USB Type-C that was featured in the new Apple MacBook when it was launched in March last year.
If Apple does ditch the MacBook Air line, that would mean that the American tech giant would be offering notebooks and laptops that would be priced below $1,000, which would be significantly cheaper than the $1,300 price of the current base model of the MacBook Air, cites Digital Trends.
Or it is also possible that the 2016 MacBook Air and the 2016 MacBook Pro could be the last of the notebook and laptop line of the American tech giant before streamlining it and leaving the MacBook as the remaining brand.
Most critics also think that the MacBook Air’s days are numbered even though the line is the company’s best-selling laptop. And when it finally gives up the line, the tech giant has no choice but to lower the price of the surviving MacBook line.
A solar-powered laptop?
The rumors about the 2016 Apple MacBook Air are also getting pretty interesting as of late. With reports that the new notebook may be launched in March this year, also comes the speculations that the full laptop, the 2016 Apple MacBook Pro, could also come out several months thereafter.
What seems rather odd about those reports is that the Cupertino-based tech company has had a regular launching event in March since last year but none in June so it is possible that both notebook and laptop lines could be launched in March, but the latter would only make it to the market three months later.