Rumor: Apple to unveil updated MacBook Air, MacBook Pro models in June

Rumors have come down the pipe from assorted suppliers that Apple may announce updated MacBook Air notebooks this month as opposed the August. The rumor also states that Apple might refresh its entire MacBook line earlier than expected,

The report, citing “a reliable Chinese supplier,” mentions earlier rumors that Apple will discontinue the smaller 11-inch MacBook Air to focus on 13-inch and all-new 15-inch models. All of the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are expected to be equipped with Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, while USB-A, MagSafe 2, and Thunderbolt 2 ports found on existing models will allegedly be removed.

It’s unclear whether Apple plans to announce the updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro notebooks at WWDC 2016, especially when assorted sources have said this will effectively be a no-hardware event. Apple could still make a non-WWDC announcement in June by way of press release, as was the case with the new 12-inch MacBook in April, possibly indicating only minor updates.

The report is in line with rumors of a much thinner 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with “fully redesigned” internal components to be announced at WWDC 2016, followed by a launch in the July-September quarter.

According to a research note released by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, the update MacBook Pro notebooks are thought to include a thinner and lighter form factor, Touch ID, and a new OLED touch bar positioned above the keyboard. Other improvements to the 2016 MacBook Pro should include faster Skylake processors across the lineup, while the top-of-the-line models may sport AMD’s new 400-series Polaris graphics chips. Apple last refreshed the 13-inch MacBook Pro in March 2015, followed by the 15-inch model in May 2015, with Force Touch trackpads, faster flash storage, longer battery life, and improved graphics.

Apple has note fully refreshed the MacBook Air notebook since March 2015, which it added faster Broadwell processors, Thunderbolt 2, and an Intel HD Graphics 6000 GPU. The 13-inch MacBook Air also received up to two times faster flash storage. The only minor update to the lineup since then was in April, when Apple bumped the stock 13-inch MacBook Air to 8GB of RAM, up from 4GB.

Only time will tell and we’ll have full coverage of WWDC 2016 and whatever hardware may be announced at that time.

Via Mac Otakara