The next MacBook Air could see some substantial design changes.
Apple is supposedly working on a 12-inch Retina MacBook Air that looks to marry the portability of the 11-inch version with the power and increased productive capabilities of the 13-inch model.
The 12-inch MacBook Air should be much thinner because it should contain the latest 14 nanometer Intel Broadwell chip, which features a fanless design.
Apple are also supposedly going to include a redesigned trackpad that eschews the mechanical button, which means that “clicks” on the 12-inch MacBook Air should stay silent.
Recently, Jack March, a self-proclaimed Apple products leaker, provided more details of about the upcoming device.
Citing a source “familiar with Apple’s plans,” March notes that the new MacBook will come in iPhone 6 colors (Gold, Silver, Space Grey), will feature a “noticeably thinner design,” and could “sacrifice the standard USB port” in favor of the new “reversible USB Type C” port.
“The USB Type-C specification was developed to provide consumers with a robust connector for everything from mobile devices to PCs, and when combined with SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps and USB Power Delivery, it truly enables a single cable solution for the market,” Jeff Ravencraft, who is the USB-IF President and COO, stated in a press release.
“The USB-IF is also in the process of developing joint port identification guidelines. We’re working with VESA to ensure consumers can recognize when DisplayPort Alt Mode is supported on USB Type-C devices.”
Apple should be including an adapter for “backwards compatibility” with older USB devices.
Other interesting details revealed include the possibility of the current MagSafe charging port being changed, thinner bezels like the existing MacBook Pro Retina line, and a keyboard that “leaves almost no space on the side,” with the speaker located “above the keyboard and visible.”
Citing Taiwan-based supply chain makers, Taiwanese publication DigiTimes notes that Apple could launch the 12-inch MacBook Air “at the end of 2014 or in 2015,” and that production has already started “in small volumes.”
