While there were strong expectations for the 2016 MacBook Air and many people expected to see the device at the last Apple event this month, that didn’t happen – the company chose to skip the announcement for now, and we don’t know when we’re actually going to see the new laptop. Rumors are plentiful, of course, but there is no concrete information out there, and this can be expected of course as it’s an Apple product and the company is generally very silent about their current work.
Some found it quite strange that the announcement didn’t arrive at the Apple event, as there were strong indications that Apple were preparing for it, but in the end it’s probably better that they delay it slightly if the device isn’t fully ready to be shown to the public. After all, there is quite a lot of attention towards Apple at the moment, specifically on this device, and if they mess up the release it’s going to leave a lasting mark on their reputation.
From what we’ve heard so far, Apple are apparently strongly focusing on the device’s design and functionality and they don’t want to leave anything unpolished for this release. Despite being in the Air line, it will actually feature some impressive hardware and should be quite the capable device for even some more demanding applications such as games.
It will reportedly also support some new technology related to streaming games, although the exact details on that are a bit sketchy. It looks like Apple are trying to get their foot in the door when it comes to live streaming of games between friends, although we aren’t sure how far they will be able to push this technology before someone else overtakes them. After all, it’s a highly competitive market and Apple aren’t exactly the prime player in the gaming industry, so their chances at success are a bit questionable.
One of the most attractive rumored features of the new MacBook Air is the price – people definitely seem excited at the prospect that this will be a sub-$1000 device that still packs serious hardware and also offers great portability and a compact form factor. That could make it a really popular offer on certain markets like students and professionals who are always on the move, but of course that will also depend on certain other factors such as the battery life.
Apple are reportedly also introducing elements from other devices in their line-up to this model, such as the high-resolution Retina Display that makes pictures crystal clear and improves the quality of UI elements significantly. Last but not least, it could also ship with a new version of OS X, although the fact that it didn’t show up at the 2015 Apple event makes this possibility a bit less likely, especially in light of recent rumors about the release date of the new operating system. It looks like Apple are preparing to bring it out very soon.
And that would clash with the idea of the next MacBook Air coming out in 2016, although it could also mean that there will be yet another version of the operating system coming then. It would make sense for Apple’s overall style of releasing their software updates, as they have recently been trying their best to make their releases as fast as possible and keep their systems constantly up to date.