The 2015 Apple MacBook Air was launched during the American tech giant’s October event last year. A few months thereafter, reports about the 2016 Apple MacBook Air have started swirling around. The speculation then was that the latest iteration of the new Apple laptop will come after its predecessor model completes its customary one-year market cycle.
Unfortunately, after Apple’s “One More Thing” event on September 9, the American tech giant has yet to calendar another event to launch its new set of devices, that possibly includes the 2016 MacBook Air.
And it looks like there will be no Apple launching event coming along before the end of the year so it is unlikely that the 2016 MacBook Air would see the light of day at all in 2015.
According to the Latinos Post, Apple has intentionally delayed the release of its 2016 MacBook Air and also its 2016 MacBook Pro to early next year for one major reason. Having just launched the iPad Pro in September, the giant tablet will reportedly hit the retail markets next month.
A strategic reason
Apparently, Apple does not want its 2016 MacBook Air to go head-to-head in the retail markets 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. There are also reports saying that the iPad Pro could actually rival even the best laptops in the market today.
Reports have it that Apple is planning to release its 2016 MacBook Air and 2016 MacBook Pro along with the iPad 3 early next year, but everything is still up in the air pending the confirmation from the American tech giant.
However, it should be noted that even before the launching of the iPad Pro last month, there were already reports that Apple will be launching its 2016 MacBook Air in October this year but the laptop shall only become available in March next year because the Intel Skylake processors will only be available during the fourth quarter of 2015.
The initial reports about the 2016 MacBook Air already indicated that it will upgrade its processor from Broadwell into Skylake.
Price increases down under
Meanwhile, the Australia Network News reported an increase in the prices of Apple laptops and Macs in the Land Down Under, which is a reverse occurrence if indeed the 2016 MacBook Air and the 2016 MacBook Pro are coming out real soon.
Accordingly, the price increases were triggered by the fluctuating foreign currency values against the US dollar. In fact, it is not only in Australia where the prices of Apple laptops and Macs increased, it also happened in other countries including Brazil, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, and Turkey.
In addition to the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, the price surge also affected the MacBook, the Mac mini, and the Mac Pro.
Considering that it is an exchange rate matter, there is nothing Apple can do directly with regards to the significant rise in the prices of its laptops and Macs.
There were previous reports that the 2016 Apple MacBook Air will have an $899 price point when the American tech company launches it, which makes it actually cheaper by $100 compared to its predecessor, the 2015 Apple MacBook Air launched in October last year.
While Apple has yet to confirm the reported price point of the 2016 MacBook Air, assuming that it is true, then it will certainly take the record as the lowest-priced Apple laptop in history when it hits the retail markets next year.
The 2016 MacBook Air will reportedly come with 13-inch and 15-inch versions but will be both thinner and lighter compared to its predecessors.