If 2016 13" MBA gets retina...

[nutmac]

If 13" MBA is indeed kept alive (many signs point to 11" MBA getting the axe) and gets retina screen option, should Apple bother making 13" rMBP?

Although I much prefer overall aesthetics of 13" MBP, 13" MBA is slimmer, lighter, cheaper, and has longer battery life.

Given historically slim performance advantage (10-15%) and addition of just 2 ports (HDMI and second TB port), I am not sure if OLED and 3D Touch are enough to justify keeping 13" in MBP's line up.

I strongly suspect 13" MBA will stay non-retina to keep it cheap, but what if?

 

[jerryk]

Why does the MBA still exist? It seems it is close to the MacBook. Maybe the Macbook plus?

 

[Tmelon]

In my perfect world, they would drop the "Air" from the name and just make it a 13.3" MacBook that sells alongside the 12" MacBook.

 

[QCassidy352]

The lineup does seem rather confused right now and would be more so with a retina screen on the air. It's hard to see why anyone would buy a MacBook if the Air had a comparable screen. You be giving up dollars, ports, and performance for what, a few ounces and a fanless design?

What might make sense is to give the screen a decent update from the low res 2010 TN panel they've got now (IPS 1080?) but leave it a notable step below the retina on the MacBook and keep selling the air as the "budget" model.

If they're gonna give it a retina screen then just merge the lines, IMO.

 

[asoksevil]

No way they are making the Air Retina, they will drop the 11" Air and make people choose between the MBA 13" (entry level), rMB 12" (portability), rMBP 13" (performance)