WWDC launch of Apple’s rumored 13″ MacBook unlikely amid production delay rumors

Mass production of Apple’s rumored 13-inch MacBook has been reportedly delayed to the second half of this year, supply chain sources told Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes.

The sources said that Apple has informed supply chain partners that mass production of its new notebook model for 2018 will not kick off until the second half of the year. The Cupertino company did not explain the rescheduling, leading some suppliers to speculate that the move might be caused by problems with some key components such as processors.

Although DigiTimes is adamant that this new notebook model from Apple will be a budget-type MacBook Air, other reports claimed that the machine would be branded as a MacBook with a 13-inch Retina display. The computer should feature a slim design like the current 12-inch MacBook and be powered by Intel’s latest notebook processor.

“Unit price for the new model is expected to be lowered from $999 to $899 or down further to $799, which in turn may push up sales of MacBook series by over 10% in 2018 to regain part of market shares held by Chromebooks,” said market observers.

Apple is also thought to be working on several new MacBook Pro models without the Touch Bar feature.