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Is Apple about to ditch the 11-inch MacBook Air for a new 15-inch model?

Trevor Mogg
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The MacBook Air sitting on a table.
Image used with permission by copyright holder
With Apple’s WWDC only days away, tech pundits everywhere are speculating as to what the tech giant has in store for users.

While the event’s focus is expected to be on software, there’s been lots of chatter suggesting the tech titan may surprise us with new MacBook Air and Pro machines, or, at the very least, reveal some details about them.

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We’ve already heard plenty of talk about a possible update to the long-neglected MacBook Pro, but a refreshed MacBook Air – as well as the launch of a new 15-inch model – could hit stores as early as August, oft-quoted Japanese Apple site Macotakara claimed on Thursday.

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Citing “reliable” sources in Apple’s supply chain in China, Macotakara said the company is planning to ditch the 11-inch Air (news we’ve heard before), while improving the current 13-inch model and launching a new 15-inch version. That would leave its laptop line-up with 12-, 13-, and 15-inch screen options, with the recently launched MacBook offering the smallest display. Recent reports have also suggested a 13-inch MacBook could be on the way, though Macotakara makes no reference to this in its article.

It’s been 15 months since Apple made any significant changes to the Air when both versions were given faster processors, Thunderbolt 2, and better graphics cards.

Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in May he expects the Pro models to stay at the front of the pack, while the MacBook will one day replace the Air entirely to sit behind the Pro. For as long as the Air remains in Apple’s line-up, Kuo said it’ll serve “as an entry-level model sold at low prices.”

It was Kuo who recently outlined new features which he believes are coming to the MacBook Pro. Most notably, it’s thought the keyboard’s top row of function keys could be replaced by an OLED touch bar, offering users the same, and additional, functionality. The likely slimmer and lighter machines could also incorporate a Touch ID scanner for improved security, and support for Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C. Recently leaked images claim to show the refreshed machine.

While Macotakara suggests an August launch for the Air, Kuo said he expects the new Pro machine to land in stores in 2016’s final quarter.

As much as we’d like to, it’s impossible to say “all will be revealed soon” as we all know how Apple likes to keep its cards close to its chest. But, just perhaps, in the coming days at WWDC, all will be revealed. We’re just not holding our breath.

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Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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