The venerable MacBook Air might be getting the boot in favor of a 13-inch entry-level MacBook sometime later this year, according to supply chain reports.
Earlier this year, there were rumors that the MacBook Air might be getting the boot in favor of a 13-inch entry-level MacBook sometime in 2018, according to supply chain reports. More recent news from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities points to a different fate for the aging notebook. Kuo says that a cheaper 13-inch MacBook Air is on the way, as reported by 9to5Mac.
The Apple analyst cites a second-quarter release, which means the new Air might be just a couple of months away. He goes on to say that a MacBook “with a lower price tag” will push shipments of the line up by 10 to 15 percent for the year.
Currently, the cheapest MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch screen and sells for $999. KGI speculates that a new Air should sell for less than that.
Naturally, it’s important to take this all with some skepticism since they are rumors, but it’s definitely within the realm of possibility. Looking at how Apple has neglected the MacBook Air the last couple times it’s been due for major updates, it would make sense to retire the once-popular netbook in favor of a return to form, or make new one with a more accessible pricetag.
For years, the entry-level MacBook of choice was the plain-old 13.3-inch MacBook clad in simple white polycarbonate. It was supplanted by the MacBook Air in 2011, which has occupied its coveted $999 price point ever since.
Digitimes and Kuo both have a pretty good track record when it comes to these rumor reports. Couple that with the fact that Apple has let the MacBook Air languish for years now, and it definitely makes sense that we might see a new entry-level product in Apple’s laptop stable. After all, the cheapest 12-inch MacBook is only slightly cheaper than the entry-level MacBook Pro, and both are a couple hundred dollars above the $1,000 mark.
The most recent hardware refresh Apple’s MacBook line saw came in late 2017 with the introduction of Intel’s seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors to its higher-end offerings. Both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models received the new processors, and both the premium 12-inch MacBook and entry-level MacBook Air saw a small bump in processor speed.
The MacBook Air has not seen a significant hardware update since 2015, according to MacRumors, and it is the only MacBook offering that does not feature one of Apple’s signature Retina displays. That alone could be the big change that comes to the MacBook lineup later this year — an entry-level $1,000 MacBook with a Retina display, and/or an even cheaper MacBook Air.
Updated on March 4: Added information on rumors of a new entry-level MacBook Air.
