Apple has delayed the production of the rumored new MacBook Air from the second quarter to the second half of the year, news which will disappoint fans of the laptop line.
It has been 10 years since late Apple founder Steve Jobs unveiled the MacBook Air as "the world's thinnest notebook." The laptop exploded in popularity but is currently just a shadow of its former glory due to its outdated features and specifications compared to the 13-inch MacBook.
New MacBook Air Rumors
In an investor note in March, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that a new MacBook Air was coming soon. The refreshed laptop will have a lower price tag upon its release in the second quarter, though it was unclear if the cheaper price was due to lower specifications or if it will be offered despite upgrades.
Kuo's note followed a report from January that Apple will launch three new Mac models this year. In addition, with the second-quarter release, the new MacBook Air was expected to be unveiled at this year's WWDC.
New MacBook Air Delayed
Unfortunately, it appears that the new MacBook Air will not be released within the second quarter. A DigiTimes report claimed that the mass production of the "budget-type" MacBook Air will be delayed to the second half of the year, according to sources from Apple's supply chain.
According to the report, Apple did not explain why production of the new MacBook Air was rescheduled. Some suppliers, however, speculated that the delay was caused by problems with some of the components of the laptop, including its processors.
In addition, some industry observers claimed that Apple deferred the volume production of the MacBook Air, including its iPhones and HomePod, in accordance with marketing strategies that are dealing with different market conditions.
The MacBook Air is expected to come with a Retina display and powered by the latest Intel notebook processors. The price tag may range from $799 to $899, which may be low enough for Apple to steal some market share from Google's Chromebooks.
The last update for the MacBook Air was announced at WWDC 2017, with the laptop given a slightly more powerful processor and default 8 GB of RAM. The $999 base price of the current MacBook Air is good for a 1.8GHz dual-core i5 processor, storage of 128 GB, and the aforementioned RAM of 8 GB.
Several other details of the new MacBook Air, meanwhile, are still unknown. It appears that fans will have no choice but to wait for the laptop in the second half of the year.
