The future looks uncertain for Apple's lightweight laptop MacBook Air, as the company introduces more streamlined yet more powerful computers to its MacBook lineup.
Fans of the Apple's laptops have been waiting for quite a while now for a new MacBook Air model. Many hope that the company will unveil a MacBook Air 2016 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) upcoming event scheduled on June 13 to June 16 in San Francisco.
According to the Australian Network News, Taiwanese website Economic Daily News reported that Apple will introduce major changes to the MacBook Air series for the current year. But now, some rumors claim that the tech company based in Cupertino has actually ended its Air series of MacBook laptops. Apple has been rumored to be streamlining its laptop and tablet series. Once the Air series has been discontinued, the upcoming MacBook Pro 2016 will be taking over.
Apple Insider reports that an Apple analyst predicts the high-tech giant will launch in the third quarter of 2016 the next-generation 13-inch MacBook model. The KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also claims that the new model will come with Reina display.
Kuo predicts that big changes are to come in Apple's Macbook Pro lineup. The company might release by the end of this year lighter and thinner MacBook Pro models that will be infused with technologies and features from Apple's mobile devices.
In order to achieve maximum thinness, it is speculated that Apple likely plans to compress Macbook Pro innards further by employing battery tech and low-rise butterfly mechanism switches that were previously introduced with the 12-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. Additionally, alongside the usual Thunderbolt ports, the new MacBook Pro models are expected to sport thinner and much faster USB-C connectivity.
Kuo explained that the move to make the MacBook Pro lighter and thinner would further blur the lines between Apple's MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lineups. These changes may make the existence of the MacBook Air obsolete.
Previous rumors speculated that Apple is planning of elevating the MacBook Air line to high-resolution Retina displays, force touch trackpads and speedy technology. However, according to Kuo, these upgrades are anticipated to stall.
