Apple rumored to release new MacBook Air this month, iPad 3 in Q4

By Andrew Couts June 14, 2011

New Apple MacBook Air — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple is allegedly set to release a refreshed version of its ultra-light MacBook Air laptop late this month, reports Reuters. The rumor comes via Taiwan’s Economic Daily, which claims to have direct knowledge of Apple’s production schedule via “industry sources.” Apple will reportedly ship about 380,000 units of the new MacBook Air in its initial run.

The update to the MacBook Air line has been floating around for some time. In fact, AppleInsider claims that the Economic Daily news is simply a “recycled” version of its own exclusive report from last week, which showed that Apple planned to include Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors in 11.6- and 13.3-inch models of the refreshed MacBook Air.

Prices for the current MacBook Airs start at $999 for the 11-inch, 64GB model, and go up to $1,599 for the fully-loaded 13-inch version that comes with a 256GB SSD and a 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 processor. Using Apple’s previous pricing rules as a guide, it’s likely that the new MacBook Air models will follow the same approximate prices.

This past weekend, Apple tipster ChronicWire reported on his Twitter feed that Apple would release the new MacBook Air on Wednesday. He later revised that statement to say that, no, actually it would be an unlocked iPhone 4 that Apple would release. That, in fact, turned out to be true — but the carrier-free handset was actually release today, not tomorrow.

In addition to the MacBook Air news, the Economic Daily reports that Apple has plans to release the iPad 3 in the fourth quarter of this year. The updated tablet will reportedly have a screen with “image resolution 5-6 times higher than iPad 2.” Unlike the MacBook Air information, this allegation appears highly suspect. Most reports suggest the iPad 3 will get a screen upgrade, on the scale of about twice the resolution — 2048×1536 — of the iPad 2, not 5 to 6 times. Also, it’s unlikely that we will see a new iPad before 2012.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Computing

The biggest threat to the MacBook this year might come from Apple itself

The MacBook Air on a white table.

MacBooks have held a dominant position in the laptop world for the past few years. Though there have been meaningful rivals from the Windows side of the aisle, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro still feel like they hold an unshakeable lead at the moment.

But according to the latest reports, the most serious challenger to the MacBook's reign won't come from Windows -- it'll come from within Apple in the form of some very advanced new iPads.
What's a computer?

Computing

How to keep your MacBook from sleeping

The M3 MacBook Air in front of a window.

Your MacBook is your go-to powerhouse for all things computing. Web browsing, graphic design, video editing, music production, you name it, the MacBook can do it. But like any good laptop, your MacBook has a number of battery-saving features built in and enabled by default. One of these functions is the computer’s sleep mode, which optimizes battery life by decreasing power usage.

Computing

Best refurbished MacBook deals: Get a MacBook Air for $140 and more

A stack of MacBooks is pictured from the top down.

If you’re in the market for one of the best laptops it’s worth turning your attention toward Apple’s MacBook lineup, and if you’re looking for some savings it can be helpful to shop MacBook deals. Due to the popularity of Apple’s MacBooks they don’t often see significant discounts, but a good way to land some impressive MacBook deals is by shopping refurbished. Most refurbished MacBooks are backed by warranties and decent return windows, allowing you to shop refurbished MacBooks with the confidence you might have when shopping for a brand new one. We’ve tracked down what we feel are the best refurbished MacBook deals currently taking place, so feel free to start shopping for a refurbished MacBook with some savings.
MacBook Air 11.6-inch (2015) -- from $140

Once the latest MacBook Air but now eight years old and still competent, the MacBook Air 11.6-inch (2015) is a great starting point for anyone new to macOS or who just needs something financially on par with a Chromebook. It's a refurbished model but it comes with a one-year warranty so there's peace of mind here. It won't run the latest macOS unfortunately, but its Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory and 128GB of SSD storage helps you perform the basics. It still has all the style of a MacBook so we're thinking this could be a good entry point as your child's first MacBook or if you want a project.