Apple unlikely to launch new 13-inch Retina ‘MacBook Air’ at WWDC
Despite earlier reports that suggested Apple would unveil a new 13-inch Retina ‘MacBook Air’ at their annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, Digitimes has claimed Apple has delayed assembly of the machine, pushing production back until the third quarter of 2018.
The current MacBook Air hasn’t been updated since it’s processor bump back in June. Since then, Apple has been pushing its newest 12-inch MacBook that offers a Retina display, but a step down in processors. The 12-inch model features Intel’s coreM series processors which are most commonly found in tablets. Despite its lack of refreshes, the MacBook Air (originally introduced in 2008) has still seen increases in sales due to its relatively affordable pricing.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in March that a new 13-inch MacBook could help boost MacBook shipments by between 10% to 15% this year. It’s so far unclear how Apple will market the new machine, some have suggested that Apple could scrap the MacBook Air line all together this year and introduce the new 13-inch Retina laptop as part of their newer MacBook line.
Digitimes’ report cites supply chain sources who have said some partners speculated that the postponement might be caused by problems with some key components such as processors…
Apple will defer the volume production of its new budget-type MacBook Air for 2018 to the second half of the year from the originally-scheduled second quarter, supply chain sources have disclosed, adding that they would suffer from high material inventories and low capacity utilization before Apple starts to take shipments probably in the third quarter. – The sources said that Apple has informed supply chain partners that mass production of its new notebook model for 2018 will not kick off until the second half of the year, yet without explaining the rescheduling move. Some partners speculated that the postponement might be caused by problems with some key components such as processors.
Pricing for the new machine is still unknown, however, previous reports have suggested the MacBook hardware will be priced in line with, or slightly above, its MacBook Air laptop, which starts at $999.