MacBook Air With USB-C Again Rumored, Launch Timeframe Unclear

[MacRumors]

Last month, Japanese blog Mac Otakara reported that Apple plans to announce new MacBook Air models featuring USB-C ports based on the Thunderbolt 3 protocol by the end of June, and begin shipping the notebooks to retailers in August. It is now seven weeks later, however, and the rumor has yet to materialize.

But if a new report from Taiwanese website DigiTimes is to believed, Apple still has plans to release a new MacBook Air with USB-C ports after all. The report does not provide a launch timeframe for the updated notebooks, but the secondary rumor suggests Mac Otakara may have been off on timing only.

Currently, Apple has decided to adopt the USB Type-C interface for its MacBook Air, while Asustek Computer and Hewlett-Packard (HP) are upgrading one of their notebooks' regular USB port to the Type-C. Lenovo, Acer and Dell are still evaluating the option.

DigiTimes previously reported that Apple will begin shipping new "ultra-thin" 13-inch and 15-inch MacBooks at the end of the second quarter, which ended in late June. The report said the new MacBooks would "share a design similar to the existing 12-inch MacBook" and be "thinner than [the] existing MacBook Air."

DigiTimes also previously reported that Apple plans to release new ultra-thin MacBooks with metal injection molded hinges in the second half of 2016. The website is not always an accurate source of Apple's upcoming product plans, but it has well-connected supply chain sources that have proven reliable at times in the past.

Apple's entire Mac lineup, beyond the 2016 12-inch MacBook, has stagnated. Apple has not released a new MacBook Air in over 500 days, beyond a minor 8GB RAM bump for 13-inch models in April. Some believe the MacBook Air's days are numbered, but perhaps the notebook will live on until Apple can sell the 12-inch MacBook from $999.

Alternatively, it is possible that DigiTimes is misinterpreting a thinner MacBook Pro with USB-C ports as a MacBook Air.

If a new MacBook Air is incoming, a late-year launch is most probable. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple will launch three new MacBook models by year's end: a thin and light 13-inch MacBook in the June-September quarter, and two thinner and lighter 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models in the September-December quarter.

Article Link: MacBook Air With USB-C Again Rumored, Launch Timeframe Unclear

 

[sputnikv]

this makes no sense. drop the air, improve the macbook

 

[JonneyGee]

Just another reason to buy more adapters. Yay!

 

[mattopotamus]

*with a screen from the year 2000

 

[cmChimera]

It's a Macbook Pro.

 

[smacrumon]

Can Apple please harmonize its connections? USB, USB Type C, Lightning, MagSafe, etcetera, etcetera. Choose one for all devices, Mac and iOS, and make it work in every possible way. Please.

 

[TurboPGT!]

this makes no sense. drop the air, improve the macbook

Long way to go before the MacBook is offered at comparable price point.

 

[Dilster3k]

The Air line-up will die out for sure like the previous-gen MacBook Pro.

 

[Sandstorm]

Apple's entire Mac lineup has stagnated - so true and so sad. Pathetic even. Thanks for everything, Tim!

 

[Schwyz]

Plot twist: Apple drops the MacBook and replaces it with the MacBook Air.

 

[TurboPGT!]

Apple's entire Mac lineup has stagnated - so true and so sad. Pathetic even. Thanks for everything, Tim!

Said not one single owner of a current Mac.

 

[garirry]

Apple needs to get hold of themselves and stop this convoluted mess of a computer lineup.

It's a total mess right now and doesn't make sense. They need to seriously fix this.

 

[Sandstorm]

Said not one single owner of a current Mac.

LOL. Keep living in that bubble.

 

[sammcj]

I want this very much.

I see what I think most people would see happening - the Macbook and Macbook Air becoming one product.

I have a Macbook Retina - the first of the two models, upgraded as much as you can - It's a fantastic ultraportable with an amazing screen, crazy long battery life, a great keyboard once you get used to it and it's the perfect size.

All it (badly) needs is:

• A much faster CPU & integrated GPU (or non-integrated I guess but that probably wouldn't make sense).
• 16GB of RAM as a minimum & maybe a 32GB option.
• A NVMe SSD option somewhere between 512GB-2.5TB.
• A second (thunderbolt enabled) USB-C port.

And then it'd be hands down the perfect laptop for me & at least 3 other people I know would immediately spec it out and buy it right away.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Apple needs to get hold of themselves and stop this convoluted mess of a computer lineup.

It's a total mess right now and doesn't make sense. They need to seriously fix this.

Getting angry about a rumour and basing your entire understanding of Apple's pipeline on it? Who knows what will be released by the end of the year.

Save your vitriol for when the updates are released. Then you can make an appropriate judgement on whether it's the right choice.

 

[69Mustang]

It's not a rumor. It's a fact. I've seen the pictures. There's even a price decrease.

 

[garirry]

Getting angry about a rumour and basing your entire understanding of Apple's pipeline on it? Who knows what will be released by the end of the year.

Save your vitriol for when the updates are released. Then you can make an appropriate judgement on whether it's the right choice.

I'm saying that because IT IS a convoluted mess RIGHT NOW. And the rumours aren't positive about that, I can confirm. In fact, not a single rumour we've heard so far has been positive really.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Can Apple please harmonize its connections? USB, USB Type C, Lightning, MagSafe, etcetera, etcetera. Choose one for all devices, Mac and iOS, and make it work in every possible way. Please.

Which port is the right (one) port (to use for everything) from that list?

 

[Soccertess]

Said not one single owner of a current Mac.

500 days since the last update and you really don't think the line up is stagnant? Do you think the screen on the macbook air is par with the the norm? Are the benzels too small for you too?

The macbook air needs a form factor update (by that I mean screen), and I don't mind USB-C as long as I have another regular USB. However, I will miss the magsafe 2 :S

Tim doesn't care about Macs, but OSX is the one decent product he has yet to destroy. Can't wait till he resigns or the board fires him. And yes, many analysis and many in the tech industry have been questioning Apple about the lack of innovation, or more specifically Tim's lack of leadership in pushing innovation.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I have a Macbook Retina - the first of the two models, upgraded as much as you can - It's a fantastic ultraportable with an amazing screen, crazy long battery life, a great keyboard once you get used to it and it's the perfect size.

All it (badly) needs is:

• A much faster CPU & integrated GPU (or non-integrated I guess but that probably wouldn't make sense).
• 16GB of RAM as a minimum & maybe a 32GB option.
• A NVMe SSD option somewhere between 512GB-2.5TB.
• A second (thunderbolt enabled) USB-C port.

And then it'd be hands down the perfect laptop for me & at least 3 other people I know would immediately spec it out and buy it right away.

What is the Apple retail price of THAT computer equipped with what it badly needs?

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Cheap MB is overpriced, underspec'd and underpowered
MBA is more powerful and capable but crippled by lo-fi screen
MBP was outdated a year ago already.
Still no option for a professional tablet

Profits down 2nd Q in a row
iphone iphone iphone
Great.


Maybe with your trillions you could start a radical new subsidiary that makes computers again, that are more than just accessories to charge and backup iphones.

 

[RickInHouston]

I see a pattern here.

Have a stagnant growth quarter. Promise new products 'very soon'.

 

[keysofanxiety]

*with a screen from the year 2000

If you think a screen from 2000-2005 is synonymous with a MBA, you'll have a hell of a shock if you ever got your hands on a PowerBook.

I'm saying that because IT IS a convoluted mess RIGHT NOW. And the rumours aren't positive about that, I can confirm. In fact, not a single rumour we've heard so far has been positive really.

Only convoluted thing I can think of is the MacBook Air/MacBook. MacBook was normally the budget portable and the Air is the ultraportable (hence the name). I can't think of much more which is confusing, really.

 

[Sandstorm]

Which port is the right (one) port (to use for everything) from that list?

Isn't it obvious? USB Type C (with Thunderbolt 3 capability). The whole industry is headed that way and it's absolutely the only way that makes sense - to finally unify all the different ports.

 

[sammcj]

What is the Apple retail price of THAT computer equipped with what it badly needs?

Say for a 16GB w/ 2TB NVMe SSD, i7 or high end i5 or similar - I'd say around the $2100 USD mark