More rumors are suggesting that the new MacBook Air with Retina display will be released anytime soon.
The report comes from Digitimes which said that the ODM Quanta Computer has already started the production of the new 12-inch laptop, in time for its launch this first quarter of 2015. The laptop, it claimed, will replace the current 11-inch MacBook Air. The 13-inch MacBook Air on the other hand will continue its production.
In the report, it was also revealed that the Taiwanese firm has already boosted the number of its workers for them to finish the products on time. It said Quanta is set to add at least 30,000 workers as it has also received orders for the production of the Apple Watch.
KpopStarz earlier predicted that the new device, which it dubbed as the "best" laptop Apple has released so far, will be out in summer this year. The International Business Times however says it will be released in June during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.
What's New?
The biggest change in this new Apple laptop is the Retina display. Note that the Retina display had already been in other Apple products such as MacBook Pro, iMac, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPod Touch, iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Mini.
Aside from the Retina display, the new Apple laptop will also boast of its new size -- 12 inches, according to Mac Rumors' report which cited KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo as its source. Ming-Chi Kuo also predicted that the new MacBook Air will be lighter and slimmer than the current MacBook Air and will definitely be better than its predecessors. The current MacBook Pro with Retina Display is available on two sizes -- 13 inches and 15 inches. The current MacBook Air on the other hand has 11 inches and 13 inches variants.
Also, in the IB Times report, it said that there is also a possibility that the new laptop will feature the Touch ID feature which is currently available on some of the latest iPhones -- iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus. "The possibility of a Retina MacBook Air with Touch ID is perhaps a far flung idea for 2015. But with Apple's innovations as seen in the past, nothing might be impossible," it said.
Mac Rumors says that it is likely that the new Apple laptop will have the newly released Intel Broadwell Core M chips. It also speculated that it will be thinner than its predecessor, MacBook Air which is only 0.68 inches thick and that it will be fanless. It is also expected to be lighter and to have narrower display bezels. A new trackpad design, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, fast PCIe-based flash storage, and Thunderbolt 2 ports are also being eyed for the new device. Mac Rumors is also suggesting that it will be the first Apple notebook to have the new reversible USB Type C connector, allowing USB cables to be inserted into it at any orientation. The laptop is expected to come in three different colors -- Silver, Gold, and Space Gray.
Apple has yet to issue a statement regarding the matter.