The thing about rumors, especially in the tech industry, is that some of them sound so good, so futuristic that we want them to be true.
On the other hand, some rumors (like this one) mark the end of an era and we wonder if they're really true or not. Will the Macbook Air really come to an end? Will the iPad Pro and the teeny tiny Macbook replace it?
First, word of warning, these are all rumors. For all we know, the Macbook Air could be making a strong comeback in 2016. We hope it does, but most of what's leaking online suggests otherwise.
Of Apple's entire Macbook lineup, its Air line is the technological straggler of the group. In fact, so far this year, the Macbook Air hasn't gotten any love at all — no updates, no upgrades. Though we still have about one more month left in the year for things to change, Apple's upgrade cycle around its Macbook Airs have long since gone.
That's one of the first rumors we could safely set aside, a new Macbook being released in 2016. Others even suggest that the entire Macbook Airline has already been scrapped in favor of the iPad Pro.
"All [notebooks] need to be more mobile, so something like the Air doesn't need to be branched out anymore ... and it's to Apple's benefit not to have so many 'families' of Macs," Carolina Milanesi, Chief of Research & Head of US Business at KANTAR WORLDPANEL ComTech, reports.
If anything, Apple's family of Macbooks is getting a bit overcrowded between the Macbook, Macbook Air, and Macbook Pro. In addition, if Apple does intend for the iPad Pro to replace a laptop, that makes for even more Apple devices competing against each other. The industry was already a bit caught off guard with the release of the Macbook early this year — what did its entry mean for the Air?
If the Macbook Air is to get one final hurrah, rumors are saying that it will finally, FINALLY get a Retina display. In fact, it may borrow from the best of the Macbook and Macbook Pro. Along with a much-awaited high-resolution display, the Macbook Air is reported to get 3D Touch capabilities and USB Type-C support. Of course, the Air's greatest feature — all day battery life — should remain, if not improve.
As with all rumors, it's a waiting game. If the Macbook Air does indeed have to go, then we hope it goes with a high-resolution display on its wafer-thin lid as its final salute.
