Apple still hasn't announced their MacBook Air release date, meaning another delay in the launch of the new device. However, new rumors are claiming that the 2016 MacBook Air will not be releasing any Air lineup altogether due to the iPad Pro.
Chief Analyst Jan Dawson at Jackdaw Research supposes that Apple may stop manufacturing MacBook Air devices and phase out the devices altogether.
"This wasn't the MacBook Air, but instead leaped past the Air. They kept [the MacBook Air] around just as they do with older iPhones, but the MacBook is now in the same position as the newest iPhone. That makes me wonder if the Air will go away over time," Dawson stated in an interview with Macworld.
Echoing Dawson's presumptions that the MacBook Air will be phased out is Chief of research and head of US Business for Kantar World Panel Comtech, Carolina Milanesi.
Macworld also spoke to Milanesi, who explained to them that if Apple does decide to make the MacBook Air obsolete, it may likely be to focus on mobility and portability, which are both present in the iPad Pro.
"All [notebooks] need to be more mobile, so something like the Air doesn't need to be branched out anymore ... and it's to Apple's benefit not to have so many 'families' of Macs," Milanesi said.
According to The Christian Post, there have been earlier 2016 MacBook Air rumors that suggested its release date will come on Black Friday, together with the Apple OS X El Capitan operating system.
Meanwhile, previous rumors have also claimed that the delay in the 2016 MacBook Air release date was to give way to the iPad Pro.
Other reports claimed a MacBook Air launch in December, according to a Gospel Herald report cited by the Ecumenical News.
If the 2016 MacBook Air Black Friday release date rumors prove true, consumers can expect the following purported specs and features.
According to Yibada, the rumored features of the MacBook Air 2016 include a 13-inch and 15-inch versions, Force Touch technology, the OS X El Capitan operating system, a Type-C USB port, an Intel Skylake-U chipset and a better battery life. These specs and features could mean the 2016 MacBook Air could be the most powerful device in the company's lineup if speculations are true.
As for Apple's response to the rumors, the company has yet to confirm the features nor announce a 2016 MacBook Air release date. In the following months, more details are expected to surface about the anticipated device.