Earlier this month, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is expected to introduce a cheaper MacBook Air sometime during the second quarter of the year, and a few days later a second report backed up Kuo's claims with a claim of a price point starting at $799 or $899.
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DigiTimes is now reporting that Apple is planning to launch a new 13.3-inch "entry-level MacBook" late in the second quarter of the year, which suggests an introduction at WWDC in June. While DigiTimes calls the notebook a "MacBook," it is unclear whether it would be part of the MacBook or MacBook Air line, but the entry-level nature of the machine and the MacBook's positioning at a similar 12-inch size suggests this new machine might be part of a refreshed MacBook Air family.
However the new entry-level machine is marketed, DigiTimes says the pricing will be the same as or slightly higher than the current MacBook Air, which starts at $999, and the machine will include a Retina display.
The 13.3-inch a-Si panels for the new notebook feature the same resolution as Apple's 13.3-inch MacBook Pro at 2,560 by 1,600.
LG Display will begin supplying the panel in April with the new MacBook scheduled to enter mass production at the end of May or the beginning of June.
The report claims that Apple is targeting shipments of six million units of the new notebook through the end of the year, although DigiTimes analysts believe four million is a more likely figure considering the estimated pricing.
In addition to the new MacBook Air or MacBook, DigiTimes says Apple is also preparing updated entry-level iPad models for release in the second quarter and new iPad Pro models for the second half of the year.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)So I have a 2013 MBA
I really want a new MBPr to replace my 2015 MBPr as I under spec'ed it when I bought it but:The keyboard issues with the MBP make those effectively a no go for me (unless you wanna budget in AppleCare it's basically a must for the machine).
...
There is just no upgrade path for me at the moment.
Maybe my next MacBook will be an Air (again):)
* No HDMI - used a lot for presentations and I am not going to start carrying around dongles. My bag is full enough.
* No magsafe - This has saved my laptop from flying across the room on no less than 5 occasions.
* A gimmicky touchbar that I'd be paying a premium for.
* "That" keyboard...
The pro moniker is frankly laughable at the moment.
Apples MacBook lineup is so screwed up lol
I have to agree. It honestly takes a bit of study to figure out how to differentiate these products. The differences seem kind of arbitrary (e.g., the current Air has the weaker display and hard disk at entry level, but has a superior selection of (now "legacy") ports that I use daily when compared to even the spec'ed up MB or MBP.) Then there's the matter of the keyboard on the new MB and MBP, but the more comfortable keyboard on the Air.I'm beginning to think about replacing my 2013 MBP, and I haven't a clue which machine I should be looking at.