Apple's Ultra-Slim 12-Inch Notebook Rumored to Gain USB Type C and Fanless Internals

macbook_air_chassisFollowing a previous report claiming Apple's much-rumored 12" ultra-slim notebook is planned to arrive in silver, gold, and space gray color options, Jack March has issued a follow-up report sharing additional details on the machine.

According to March's report, which MacRumors believes to be based on legitimate information, the new notebook has a much thinner design that appears to sacrifice many of the usual ports seen on Apple's current notebooks and may adopt the new reversible USB Type C connector that has seen its specifications recently finalized.

A source familiar with Apple’s plans describes the 12 inch Macbook Air as having a noticeably thinner design, the source wouldn’t give dimensions however noted that the thinner design may sacrifice the standard USB port and Apple will move to the reversible USB Type C with this product, It is assumed Apple will include an adapter in the box for backwards compatibility.

Interestingly, the report raises some questions about charging on the notebook, indicating that the usual MagSafe port has been removed in favor of a new, unspecified charging method.

In line with previous rumors, the machine is reportedly fanless, suggesting it will adopt an ultra low-power processor such as the Broadwell-Y Core M processors recently announced by Intel. The body of the new notebook is also said to be narrower than the current MacBook Air, with narrower display bezels and a keyboard stretching right to the edges of the machine. Finally, the speakers are said to be located above the keyboard with visible grilles, unlike the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro that have their speakers located underneath the keyboard.

Apple's 12-inch notebook has been rumored for some time, with the launch perhaps being pushed back due to multiple delays for Intel's Broadwell chips. March's previous report indicated Apple appears to be currently looking toward a mid-2015 launch.

(Image: Chassis of current MacBook Air)

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Air (Buy Now)
Related Forums: MacBook Air, MacBook

Top Rated Comments

ugru Avatar
114 months ago
Stop this thinness madness...

We need performance and battery life....not a credit card thin laptop/smartphone/tablet...
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sshambles Avatar
114 months ago
Hooray! Finally a Mac Rumour ;)
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dilster3k Avatar
114 months ago
Calling it now, this will be a major hit. A retina screen in a very portable form factor... *drools*

With the A8 chip bridging the gap between our modern computer CPU's even closer, I am wondering when Apple will make the shift to the ARM platform. By doing so they won't be bound to Intel's schedule and it'll be possible to implement such things like TouchID even.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
snebes Avatar
114 months ago
I still think this is the iPad Pro, but the leaks keep mistaking it for a laptop. I can't see a 3rd notebook line, nor do I see the MacBook Air going away....
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flottenheimer Avatar
114 months ago

Glad it isn't ARM.

Switching to Intel was one of the boldest and best component decisions Apple ever made. I seriously hope they will stay committed to the Intel platform – at least until the day when everything is browser/cloud based (if that happens).
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benguild Avatar
114 months ago
Probably will just charge via USB :D
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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