Chinese supplier claims MacBook Pro/Air refresh could happen this month

macbook air

The new twelve-inch MacBook is the future of Apple’s notebook lineup, but the MacBook Pro family being overdue for a refresh doesn’t necessarily mean that the MacBook Air will be going away. According to the fairy reliable Japanese blog Mac Otakara this morning, citing an unnamed Chinese supplier, Apple will be announcing some updated MacBook Airs and Pros later this month, possibly at WWDC.

New 15-inch MacBook Air?

The refreshed Pros will sport USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports, as well as Thunderbolt 2 and MagSafe 2 charging, said the source.

While the report stopped short of casting more light on the MacBook Air upgrade, it’s likely going to be a quiet update to outfit the machine with the most recent hardware. The 11-inch Air is said to become a goner as the new MacBook Air lineup will consist of the 13-inch model and an all-new 15-inch MacBook Air.

Or is it a revamped 15-inch MacBook Pro?

It’s very reasonable to assume that this rumored 15-inch Air could actually turn out to be a redesigned 15-inch MacBook Pro.

The report goes on to mention that it was “unclear” whether the notebooks would indeed be formally announced at WWDC. For what it’s worth, the new Airs and Pros could be pre-announced at WWDC (like the Mac Pro two years ago) as Mac Otakara writes that the refreshed machines will land on store shelves in August.

Apple’s notebook lineup needs consolidating

It should be noted that Economic Daily News did claim in November 2015 that Apple would announce a thinner, faster and redesigned MacBook Air lineup at WWDC 2016, potentially marking the first major facelift of the ultra-thin notebook since its 2008 debut.

A brand new fifteen-inch MacBook Air model may be in the works, too, added Economic Daily News. In March 2015, Apple upgraded the Air’s specs in the form of Intel’s fifth-generation Intel Core processors and Thunderbolt 2.

As of two months ago, all Air models ship with 8GB of RAM.

Source: Mac Otakara (Google Translate)