Oh, I agree. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that MacBook Air is ever going to be updated. That line is dead. It hasn't got any updates since 2015, and it never got updated to Skylake or Kaby Lake.
What I think will happen is that the MBA will get completely dropped and we will have a new low-priced laptop instead, most likely called "MacBook". This would allow Appel to go back to its historical successful duo of consumer (MacBook) and a prosumer (MacBook Pro) lines, while maintaining clear capability difference between them: the MacBook will be a dual-core, super-efficient, hyper-mobility device with only USB 3.2, while the MacBook Pro will be a quad/hexa-core model, ultra-mobile and offer pro-level connectivity via thunderbolt.
Since Apple's laptop sales are as strong as ever and only getting stronger, I don't really think that there is much of pent up demand. Whoever wants a Mac still gets an Mac, and whoever wants to switch, switches. Despite all the outrage at the forums, Apple's position in the computer market is not getting any weaker.
Still, I am at a loss why they haven't announced a warranty extension for keyboard-related problems yet. It would be a powerful publicity move and wouldn't cost that much. Data we have puts actual keyboard failures at around or sub 3%, which is high — but not that high. Certainly nothing to warrant a total recall like some are asking for, but more then enough to warrant a 5 year warranty on this particular item.
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Then you should really start looking around ASAP, since they are not the only ones switching to modern ports. Dell, Lenovo etc. all have computers that either partially or completely move to the modern USB standard. Wait for too long and you won't be able to find anything at all. Its 2018. You are complaining about lack of ports that haven't received any updates for the last 10 years. At some point its going to be time to move on.
By calling a model 'MacBook' I think you're placing it below the Retina MacBook that already exists, although that product line looks a little in question because the suitable CPUs for that haven't been announced by Intel yet either. It might be that the incoming Cannon Lake SKUs include versions that go down to 5w and don't require a fan. We won't know, but the main bugbear for me is those models only sport a single USB-C port (not even Thunderbolt or even USB3 Gen 2 for 10Gb/s speed). I reckon this is because of the potential power drain from having more ports - the power situation is that specific.
If you rebrand the MacBook Air as a non Retina device, how can it sit beneath a *less powerful CPU* in a product called the Retina MacBook which has a retina screen (albeit 12")?
In the face of a lack of a suitable replacement i5 15w Iris Graphics CPU for the non touchbar Apple could go with the i3-8109u which has Iris Graphics but remains dual core, 4 threads but is a higher power 28w CPU. It might briefly confuse by having a higher clock speed than but at least the decent onboard graphics are in and the MacBook Pro case is the same size so could in theory handle the cooling profile.
Apple price for profit - remember there's no other official Mac provider in town. There's nothing wrong with that, and they make a decent margin on their profits. There's just a small but vocal community of us who want a product to meet our own needs - although a keyboard that works reliably would be nice.
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I don't believe Apple has ever put something back after removing it, so my guess is you're out of luck. Apple are more likely to discontinue the Air line altogether, or put in the new keyboard, usb-c, and headphone jack a'la the MacBook line if they do anything.
The entire laptop line is too fragmented currently, there are just too many sku's.
Current MacBook Air starts @ 999.00 - Currently underpowered, screen is lacking. The only upside (to some) are a couple of ports and the keyboard. IF Apple were to give this machine a retina screen, usb-c instead of -a, etc then you are looking at a price increase (all about money, right?).
Current MacBook starts @ 1299.00 - 1x USB-C port (two would be nice), but it has the Retina display, and is ridiculously portable. This is the machine that should be (and quite possibly could be) the next "MbA".
Current MacBook Pro starts @ the same 1299.00 - Starts with 2x USB-C, but lowly storage (128gb).
One could argue that unless you really need the storage space, that the entry level MbP is the way to go (keyboard not withstanding). Faster processor, faster ssd, better video, and 2x usb-c ports.
And that, in an nutshell is how Apple are able to up-sell people into the MbP line even if they don't fit the "definition".
If this year is about going all retina, Apple can do that by eliminating the last 21.5" iMac non retina SKU - it's been on the cards since the first 5k iMac landed. It would leave the Macbook Air as the remaining product unless it too is going retina when it gets refreshed.
The existing MacBook Air must have been surprisingly popular to even get rumours about a spec bump as opposed to becoming resigned to be a zombie product. It's cheaper, has ports that were eliminated from the 2016 and 2017 products, retains Magsafe, an SD port, and a reliable keyboard. The 13" screen is the weakest part of the MBA and if that is addressed it would make a refresh a compelling product for people on a budget - so why would they potentially undermine the non touch bar MacBook Pro?
Perhaps the sales bump is comprised of people who felt the various iterations of the 13" MacBook Pro were too expensive because it included a gimmick touch bar they didn't see the point of. The non touch bar versions were then underpowered and lacked ports - just 2 Thunderbolt 3, and that reduced to 1 when you were plugged in for charging.
Funnily enough, I just checked the 8th generation Coffee Lake CPUs and it appears the 2018 13" MacBook Pros could have 4 full speed Thunderbolt 3 ports because they come with 16 PCIe lanes (as opposed to just 12 lanes forcing 2 of the ports on the 2017 7th Generation Kaby Lake variants to be half speed).
Even the i3-8109U could support 4 full speed Thunderbolt 3 ports if they choose to use it in a product.
I'm in agreement that there's too many SKUs going on for MacBooks, but with a simple price cut across the board due to maturity of technology, optional removal of the touch bar, and a few extra ports (even if they were all Thunderbolt 3) for the lower end MacBook Pros they could afford to eliminate the MBA by closing the gaps and reducing the starting storage on the Retina MacBook.
