Rumor: 12" Retina MacBook Air may be pushed back to 2015, next-gen models hit production in August
Rumors out of Taiwan on Friday claim Apple's anticipated 12-inch MacBook Air may be delayed into 2015 due to processor supply constraints, but release of the next-generation 11-inch and 13-inch models will be on time as partner suppliers in East Asia are receiving parts for mass production.
Apple's 2014 product roadmap as predicted by KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In two separate reports, Taiwan's Economic Daily News claims a rumored 12-inch MacBook Air may see its release date pushed back to late 2014 or early 2015, while parts for Apple's refreshed 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models are now being shipped to partner supplier Quanta ahead of production next month.
Causing the reported delay for the 12-inch model is short supply of Intel's latest 14-nanometer Broadwell chips, the publication said. Current estimates peg release of the mid-size Air at the end of the third quarter or, more conservatively, in early 2015.
The rumor follows a report from June that also hinted at a delayed release for the 12-inch MacBook Air, saying Quanta would start mass production of the thin-and-light in the third quarter.
In April, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects Apple to launch an "ultra-slim" stripped-down 12-inch Air with a new fan-less design sporting a "click-less" trackpad as well as fewer inputs and outputs.
As for the upcoming 11- and 13-inch model revamps, Quanta is reportedly receiving components like processors, chassis and screens from OEMs for assembly in August. The firm is expected to begin volume shipments at the end of the month ahead of sales in October.
Apple most recently updated its MacBook Air lineup with a minor speed bump in April.
Apple's 2014 product roadmap as predicted by KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.In two separate reports, Taiwan's Economic Daily News claims a rumored 12-inch MacBook Air may see its release date pushed back to late 2014 or early 2015, while parts for Apple's refreshed 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models are now being shipped to partner supplier Quanta ahead of production next month.
Causing the reported delay for the 12-inch model is short supply of Intel's latest 14-nanometer Broadwell chips, the publication said. Current estimates peg release of the mid-size Air at the end of the third quarter or, more conservatively, in early 2015.
The rumor follows a report from June that also hinted at a delayed release for the 12-inch MacBook Air, saying Quanta would start mass production of the thin-and-light in the third quarter.
In April, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects Apple to launch an "ultra-slim" stripped-down 12-inch Air with a new fan-less design sporting a "click-less" trackpad as well as fewer inputs and outputs.
As for the upcoming 11- and 13-inch model revamps, Quanta is reportedly receiving components like processors, chassis and screens from OEMs for assembly in August. The firm is expected to begin volume shipments at the end of the month ahead of sales in October.
Apple most recently updated its MacBook Air lineup with a minor speed bump in April.
Comments
[QUOTE]new 11 and 13-inch MacBook Air models are set to enter production next month with new processors, chassis, screen, and other components.[/QUOTE]
Does this mean the existing MBA's are being redesigned?
What is deal with a 12" screen? Why not Retina for both 11" and 13" models. What am I missing with a 12" model?
With the new design of the MBPs the 13" MBA is very close to the 13" MBP, and having just an 11" MBA, especially when it's 16:9 isn't a great machine. Making it 12" would seem to be a much better fit wit the 13" and 15" MBPs.
Or until 4K UHD videos or H.265 encoded videos are available on iTS which would mean a better GPU, better HDMI spec, and new decoder, but I would also like 802.11ac, more antennas, BLE or GigE added.
If the 12" MBA can't launch then perhaps they will just do an update to the MBA. Or perhaps they are bringing the basic MacBook brand back. I personally hope the 11" and 13" MBAs go away.
Why do the MBAs bum you out? I have an 11" and love it. It's not my main machine, that's the iMac, but it does a great job and is verrrrry portable.
With the new design of the MBPs the 13" MBA is very close to the 13" MBP, and having just an 11" MBA, especially when it's 16:9 isn't a great machine. Making it 12" would seem to be a much better fit wit the 13" and 15" MBPs.
Agree. I love my MBA, but am now considering a 13" MBP instead for the extra horsepower. Now that they shaved the weight down even more, it's blurring the line between that and the MBA. I'm still waiting till the end of this year to see what Apple has in store for these two models.
Yeah, this rumor is lacking in a lot of detail. I thought Apple might be aiming for a 12" MBA to discontinue the 11" and 13" models and then be able to lower the cost of of the 12" due to doubling the scale of production. No word on whether the screen will be retina but Intel is crowing about a retina screen on the laptop they want to put out early next year. It's supposed to be based on the same CPU chip Apple intends to use and be super easy on the power consumption. . . So I can't see Apple not meeting the fabled Intel specs too.
As far as the MB and MBPr, I have no idea what Apple may be planning to do to further enhance those models. They could shoehorn in the guts of a iPhone or iPad so a person possibly could develop and test on the same computer as well as run iOS apps, I suppose. Apple has the portable laptop at about at the top of what it can do, I think, and it's getting harder to different the Apple product from the rest of the heard on specs alone... whatever Apple does will be unexpected to me.
So two products that don’t exist, one of which can’t, aren’t happening. Good to know.
Folks, it ships when it ships.
[...] I would also like 802.11ac, more antennas, BLE or GigE added.
The ?TV ethernet port is 10/100?! Does that mean having it hard-wired to my Time Machine router is dragging down the speed of the GigE devices plugged into it, or does the TM manage flow control?
SCREW the Air! Where's my @#$&!!! Mac mini?!
So why would the 11" and 13" MBA's be getting new screens, chassis and processors? Wouldn't Apple just phase them out and have 12", 13" and 15" MBPs? And if hell froze over maybe bring back the 17" MBP?
And next week we'll get a report that these "supply constraint" issues have been resolved. Honestly is there ever an Apple product that isn't rumored to be delayed because of rumored production issues/supply constraints?
Does this mean the existing MBA's are being redesigned?
IMO, Broadwell's slipping shipping date has kind of thrown the whole industry upgrade cycle off for 2014. It's not just Apple doing minor refreshes and holding off new machines, it's all the PC makers as well. So yeah, in this case there's a real, documented and major supply constraint on new CPU's.
So no relative disadvantage for Apple (unlike the days when Intel chip advances were leapfrogging PowerPC chip development), but if the "12" Retina" is real, I'm doubting anything much more than another spec bump or something. Can't imagine they'd just toss retina screens into these shells with basically the same Haswells behind 'em..... ...and then make a big deal out of consolidating the Air line into one machine six or eight months later....
....as two retinas this year would kind of suck some of the air out of the release.
And I really don't want to commit to a 1440x900 machine when I know the days of that res are numbered....
So much for Moore's law this go round....