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…

Mobile

Best iPad deals: Pro, Air, Mini and accessories on sale

iPad Pro 2020 Screen

Over the past decade Apple has expanded the tablet market and helped turn the tablet into a computing device that’s relied upon daily by both businesses and individuals. There is now a wide range of iPad models available to choose from, and a wide range of accessories as well. Apple products are difficult to find discounts on, but there are quite a few Apple iPad deals taking place right now. We’ve tracked them all down, and with so many models available to choose from, we’ve got you covered in researching the best iPads to buy as well.
Apple iPad (2021) — $270, was $329

If you’re in search of a new tablet but want to avoid the high price points of the Apple iPad Pro lineup, the Apple iPad (2021) is a much more affordable option. It’s a very capable of iPad, as it has all-day battery life, the Apple A13 Bionic chip, and an immersive 10.2-inch Retina display. All of this makes the iPad a great device for creating with, for interacting with the digital world with, and for sitting down with for an evening of movie watching. This WiFi-only model comes in Space Gray with 64GB of internal storage, which is typically plenty for most tablet users’ needs.

Computing

The MacBook Pro 14 still obliterates this Windows laptop

Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 14 front view showing display and keyboard deck.

Several of Apple's latest MacBooks are on our list of the best laptops around, and the MacBook Pro 14 is arguably the best 14-inch laptop you can buy today. Any new machine that wants to compete has to offer an incredibly compelling combination of features and value.

Lenovo's Slim Pro 9i 14 is a laptop that's obviously aimed directly at the MacBook. It has some powerful components inside and it performs just as well. It's also less expensive. Unfortunately, even those things fail to give it a leg up.
Specs and configurations

Computing

This tiny ThinkPad can’t quite keep up with the MacBook Air M2

While the laptop industry continues to move toward 14-inch laptops and larger, the 13-inch laptop remains an important category. One of the best is the Apple MacBook Air M2, with an extremely thin and well-built chassis, great performance, and incredibly long battery life.

Lenovo has recently introduced the third generation of its ThinkPad X1 Nano, one of the lightest laptops we've tested and a good performer as well. It's stiff competition, but which of these two diminutive laptops stands apart?
Specs and configurations