People who are on the market for a new MacBook Air might want to wait for a new model the company has planned, according to a report by Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac. Gurman, who has a strong track record on Apple rumors, said in a post that the forthcoming ultralight laptop will feature a 12-inch screen, and will be even thinner than its predecessors.
According to unnamed sources at Apple who have used prototype versions of the device, the display will be about a quarter of an inch narrower than the current 11-inch model, with a quarter-inch more height to accommodate the larger display. The thinness will also reportedly come at the cost of some of the device’s ports. At the moment, Apple is said to be exploring a device that uses a USB Type-C connector for all of its connectivity needs, including power, display connectivity and interfacing with external hardware.
That could still be subject to change, since the design of the new laptop hasn’t been finalized yet. Right now, the 11-inch MacBook Air sports a MagSafe power adapter port, two USB ports and a Thunderbolt port.
The keyboard will reportedly run almost completely to the edge of the device on either side, similar to the design of the 12-inch iBook G4. What’s more, the new MacBook Air’s trackpad will be touch sensitive but won’t physically click. Weird as a click-less trackpad might sound, Gurman’s story squares with a similar rumor from Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst who also has a strong track record when it comes to Apple rumors.
Other rumors about the device say that it’s slated for release during the second quarter of this year, perhaps in time for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which is usually held in June.
We’ve reached out to Apple for comment on this report, and will update this post if we hear back.
