Long Overdue for a Comeback
Apple‘s first MacBook Air was released more than 10 years ago now. It is originally designed to be smaller, and have a very light structure. Furthermore, these are positioned below the performance-range of the MacBook Pro. However, there was a sizable gap between the release of the 2015 version and last year’s 2017 MacBook Air. This led to many fans wondering if Apple is thinking of ditching the entire line. Especially since the company has been fairly quiet about any plans for a 2018 refresh all year.
Will There Be a 2018 MacBook Air Launch?
However, recent rumours coming out of Taiwan suggests that the Air lineup might be coming soon. News outlet Economic Daily News reports that the reason for the delay lies with Intel‘s processors. With the 10nm Cannon Lake delayed, Apple is left with no other option but to go with existing 14nm Kaby Lake processors. This in itself is not too bad of an upgrade considering the 2017 MacBook Air used 5th Generation i7-5650U Broadwell dual-core processors at the top end. Note that this is the same top CPU that the 2015 MacBook Air used, so it is definitely overdue for an upgrade on the CPU front.
The apprehension to push out a “new” Air with an older CPU is also largely influenced by Apple’s lowest sale performance yet since 2010. This was largely blamed on outdated lineups contributing to a 13 percent decline from 4.29 million to four million Macs. This is also the reason why Apple chose to release the 2018 MacBook Pro in July instead of June.
Some rumours also point to a “cheaper” MacBook that might be replacing the Air lineup entirely. This move would be similar to how Apple released cheaper iPads recentlty. They are supposedly aiming for a price point under $1000 USD. In comparison, the lowest price 12-inch MacBook models are currently available for $1,299 and make use of Kaby Lake processors.
