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Despite rumors earlier this week suggesting the 12-inch Retina MacBook Air could see a launch during Apple's upcoming March 9 media event, The Wall Street Journal tonight released a report indicating the notebook won't be shipping until Q2 2015. The site shared the tidbit in a detailed report on upcoming features that might be added to the larger-screened 12.9-inch "iPad Pro."
While suppliers are gearing up to ship the new 12-inch MacBook Air in large quantities in the second quarter, Apple's launch schedule remains unclear, the people said.
A Q2 2015 shipment date for the 12-inch MacBook Air suggests Apple could be planning to launch the notebook around June, possibly at its Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has launched products during WWDC before, introducing the Mac Pro in 2013 and the Retina MacBook Pro in 2012.

16044301457_48f87ed07a_b-800x601.jpg
Rendering of the 12-inch MacBook Air next to an existing MacBook Air by Martin Hajek
Aside from a potential launch date for the notebook, there's one other significant point of interest in The Wall Street Journal's report -- a clear distinction between the 12-inch MacBook Air and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Some users have speculated that due to the similarity in screen size and the iPad-like features rumored for the 12-inch Retina MacBook Air, the two products are actually one, but this new report makes it very clear that Apple is developing two separate product lines.
Separately, Apple also plans to broaden its product offering with a new 12-inch MacBook Air, people familiar with the matter said.

Earlier this year, Apple's suppliers started mass production of a 12-inch MacBook Air, featuring a higher resolution display, they said.
There is some convergence between the two products, despite the fact that one is an iPad and one is a MacBook. The 12-inch MacBook Air is rumored to have iPad-like colors, fewer ports, and no Magsafe charger, while tonight's WSJ report points towards an iPad with USB ports, but it's likely the two products will continue to be separated by operating system.

Though Apple may not plan to launch the 12-inch Retina MacBook Air during its March 9 event, there's still a good chance the company may refresh its existing 11 and 13-inch MacBook Air lineup, which are overdue for an update. Screenshots said to be from a 13-inch MacBook Air with a Broadwell processor and integrated Intel HD 6000 graphics were shared this afternoon, suggesting a refresh is imminent.

Article Link: June WWDC Launch Looking More Likely for 12-Inch Retina MacBook Air
 
makes sense. if you bought a 12 inch retina macbook air, that means you don't have any money for Apple Watch
 
Quite unfortunate for me, as i'm acheing for a new laptop... But the upcoming event seems to be watch exclusive and a new product launch beside it would side track the watch introduction.

I see a rMBP/Air spec bump at best.
 
Nope, I don't think computers can be cute… that would be weird.

MXPFwin.gif
 
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As usual, nobody knows anything. Yesterday it was almost 100% to be revealed on march 9th, but today they are almost 100% it wont come out until september.
Just relax and wait for 3 more days until is official.
 
Post a million rumors and then you're bound to be correct for at least one of them...
 
Wait a few hours,later today it will be delayed until October due to retina screen issues.
 
HEADLINE: New product from Apple widely expected in the next nine months, reports Bloomberg, KGI Securities, The Loop, The Wall Street Journal

:rolleyes:
 
Maybe Apple could do this:

1. Drop an A8 (or A9) into the new 12 inch Retina MacBook Air;
2. Add a touchscreen;
3. Enhance Disk Utility so that you can select (or re-select) how big you want your iPad storage(s) to be;
4. Enhance Mac OS X so that you can switch seamlessly between "iOS mode(s)" and Mac OS X, with expected integration (copy/paste, keyboard works, etc.);
5. Recompile all the applications bundled with Mac OS X so that they use the Apple CPU and not the Intel CPU;
6. Shut off the Intel CPU when not in use (most of the time);
7. When the Intel CPU is being used, the graphics/display could still be driven from the A8/A9.

Now THAT would be a machine to release at WWDC, wouldn't it?
 
So very disappointing. Seals my return to Lenovo and Linux. Making the processor a bit faster won't make the silly humongous bezel go away and give the Air useful resolution or color depth of an IPS display.
 
If the rMBA is an actual product that is going to be released this year then it will come at the same time as the other MBA updates. Either we're getting all the updates on the 9th, or we're getting all the updates at WWDC. The only middle ground is if the rMBA doesn't exist and we just get standard MBA updates on the 9th.

There's no way Apple could pull an iPad 3/4 update situation in the space of 3 months. The bad press wouldn't be worth it. Especially at a time when they need all the positive press they can get to launch the Apple Watch.

Of course if the rMBA is actually just a myth based on iPad Pro parts, it makes a lot more sense for this new product not to show up alongside the standard MBA updates.
 
Why does the existing MBA in the rendering have a trackpad button?
and for that matter,
Why does the new MBA in the rendering have a large bezel?
Shows signs of a) poor product knowledge and b) poor imagination.
 
If the rMBA is an actual product that is going to be released this year then it will come at the same time as the other MBA updates. Either we're getting all the updates on the 9th, or we're getting all the updates at WWDC. The only middle ground is if the rMBA doesn't exist and we just get standard MBA updates on the 9th.

There's no way Apple could pull an iPad 3/4 update situation in the space of 3 months. The bad press wouldn't be worth it. Especially at a time when they need all the positive press they can get to launch the Apple Watch.

Of course if the rMBA is actually just a myth based on iPad Pro parts, it makes a lot more sense for this new product not to show up alongside the standard MBA updates.


Considering the Intel Broadwell ULV (Ultra-Low-Voltage) line-up is starting to be widely available in the market it would be surprising for Apple not to refresh their MacBook Air models.

Apple is normally very fast and efficient when it comes to moving from one generation of Intel SKU's to another. They were fast with both the move to Nehalem, Westmere, Sandy Bridge, Ive Bridge and Haswell, especially on the MacBook Air.

The only times we have had "hold-ups" have been around the release of brand new machines like the MacBook Pro with retina display and at times where Apple have been waiting for AMD / NVIDIA to get new graphics card ready which would be launched with the new refresh of the Mac's.


I'd be surprised if we won't see any MacBook Air refresh with Intel Broadwell U-series of CPU + Intel HD 6000 graphics. But considering how delayed Broadwell became and the fact that Intel still aims for Skylark to be released early Q4 it might be that Apple is skipping Broadwell altogether.

Going Broadwell now would make a move to Skylark in about 6-9 months seem very unlike Apple to many. They normally keep at least 12 months between refreshes. And you have to take into consideration that Intel Broadwell did not bring anything particularly interesting to the table other than a die-shrink making the boost clocks/frequency at bit higher the CPU with the same TDP and around 15-20% boost in graphics performance compared to Intel HD 5000.

Being the same TDP we won't see any major improvements in battery life, so it's only a marginal improvement in CPU boost speeds and a small bump in graphical performance, nothing more.



The Broadwell line-up for full-voltage CPU's have yet to be released, so the SKU's for MacBook Pro, iMac etc.. Has yet to hit the market.. It's quite sad really, but that's how things go when Intel have no competition from AMD in the X86-marked.
 
As usual, nobody knows anything. Yesterday it was almost 100% to be revealed on march 9th, but today they are almost 100% it wont come out until september.
Just relax and wait for 3 more days until is official.

You're telling people to relax and wait until something is official… on a rumors site? :confused:
 
So very disappointing. Seals my return to Lenovo and Linux. Making the processor a bit faster won't make the silly humongous bezel go away and give the Air useful resolution or color depth of an IPS display.

Make sure you do use Linux, and erase the spyware Lenovo ships.
 
They normally keep at least 12 months between refreshes.

Because that's usually the cycle of Intel. There have been numerous times where they have done updates in much less than 12 month. Apple wouldn't withhold skylake computers in the fall because they released Broadwell machines in March, and they sure won't withhold Broadwell if they can release it now given that they can't count on intel's timeline and we've been on Haswell for 2 years.
 
Wouldn't a WWDC announcement ship in Q3?

I dunno, I'm just looking at the calendar here, AND MAYBE I'M READING IT WRONG, but if they announced it Monday then shipped it three weeks later, that would be in keeping with "suppliers are gearing up to ship the new 12-inch MacBook Air in large quantities in the second quarter."

How did you infer "bummer: delayed til WWDC" from the WSJ report?
 
Anyone who thought we'd see a new Air at this upcoming event is kinda stupid. It's for one thing; and one thing only, the Apple Watch.
 
It would make sense if Apple (in typical Apple-fashion) updated the current Airs now, only to announce and release the new 12" retina model ~3 months later.
 
Unless the Apple watch launches this March which I doubt, then I reckon the Retina MacBook air will still launch next week.

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Anyone who thought we'd see a new Air at this upcoming event is kinda stupid. It's for one thing; and one thing only, the Apple Watch.

Alright Jim Dalrymple - We're stupid if we believed the most credible recent rumours before today?
 
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