Much to the public's disappointment, there was no release or reveal of the 2016 Apple MacBook Air at this year's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Even more so, the powerful, lightweight laptop has not received an official date for availability in the market. Loyalists and those interested in the item will, in the meantime, settle for rumored release dates, educated guesses and half-confirmed design plans.
Rumors generally revolve around the MacBook Air being even thinner and lighter than the current available ones. According to Yibada, the upcoming generation will have 13-inch and 15-inch variants. And because the current line of MacBook Air laptops are the only ones currently without Retina display, it is expected that Apple will provide the 2016 versions with this feature.
On the keyboard, the device is expected to sport a Touch ID and OLED touch panel. It reportedly will also have four USB Type-C ports.
The same publication states that Apple is likely to hold a separate press conference to put the rumors to rest, as this is what the company did last year. The press conference is expected to occur either some time within the month, or in August.
Parent Herald adds that both the 2016 MacBook Air and the 2016 MacBook Pro are still expected to be released within the fourth quarter of this year. However, the MacBook Pro is expected to hit markets sooner than the MacBook Air.
Still, there are those that believe the MacBook Air will be arriving in 2017, if at all. According to MacWorld, Apple may just discontinue the Air line altogether. This would include both the MacBook Air and the iPad Air.
Logically, this move would make some sense, as the upcoming MacBook Pro is supposedly thinner and lighter than ever before as well. The iPad Pro is said to be the same as well. However, removing this would mean that Apple is giving up its lowest entry lineup.
