Based on the previous reports about the 2016 Apple MacBook Air, the American tech giant’s latest iteration to its notebook line would come in two variants – a 13-inch model and a 15-inch version.
Not once did a 12-inch version of the 2016 MacBook Air has come out in the rumor mills. But apparently, latest rumors seem to indicate that there would be one model when the notebook line comes out in the market in the first quarter of next year, notes the Gospel Herald.
But the latest rumors appear to be tricky as there is no history to fall back on, in addition to the fact that previous speculations have not said anything about the specific variant of the 2016 Apple MacBook Air.
It could be recalled that before the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus were released on September 9, there were also reports stating that a third but smaller iPhone to be called as iPhone 6C will also come out.
As it turned out, despite all the rumors about it including supposed leaked images, there was no iPhone 6C that was launched in September.
It seems that the latest rumors about the 12-inch variant of the 2016 Apple MacBook Air are actually similar to the previous rumors about the iPhone 6C, thus, it is best to take all information about the version of the notebook line with a very fine grain of salt.
The MacBook Pro 2016
It could not be that the 12-inch version of the 2016 MacBook Air that has made the rumors lately refers to the 2016 MacBook Pro because the latter would really come out bigger, being a full laptop device.
It is likely that the 2016 MacBook Pro would come out no less than 15 inches and reports have it that the laptop would make it to the retail markets in June next year, some three months after the release of the 2016 MacBook Air, notes the International Business Times of Australia.
There have also been previous reports that Apple would release both the 2016 MacBook Air and the 2016 MacBook Pro this year but the company reportedly delayed the release of the devices to next year for one major 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 notebook 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 notebook 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 3 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 in September, there were already reports that Apple will be launching its 2016 MacBook Air in October but the laptop shall only become available in March next year because the Intel Skylake processors to be used in the device will only be available during the fourth quarter of 2015.
Two launching events
Contrary to previous reports that the American tech giant may be launching its latest notebook and laptop simultaneously early next year, it seems that there will be two launching events for Apple during the first half of next year, one for each new MacBook variant.
Latest reports have it that Apple will be launching its 2016 MacBook Air along with the iPad Air 3 in March 2016. Three months later, it will officially unveil the 2016 MacBook Pro.
Dissecting the latest reports, it would seem that a March event is likely for the American tech giant. It can be recalled that it also had a launching event in March this year where it unraveled the new Apple MacBook and the Apple Watch.