Apple has announced new updates for the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, following the unveiling of the new MacBook at its event on Monday. While it doesn't bring any new, life-changing features, the updates bring a speed boost.
Images of what appear to be the specifications of a 13-inch MacBook Air refresh have surfaced on the forums of Chinese website Feng.com.
The seemingly genuine screenshots suggest a minor hardware bump based on Intel's latest Broadwell processors with more powerful Intel HD 6000 graphics, and a slightly bigger battery as well.
Although the source did not provide info related to the 11-inch MacBook Air model, Apple is likely to upgrade that machine with new Intel chips alongside the 13 incher.
In addition, a questionable report has suggested that a twelve-inch Air with a Retina screen is up for an announcement at Apple's “Spring Forward” media event next Monday, thought to focus mostly (but not exclusively?) on the Apple Watch.
Czech-based Apple rumor site letemsvetemapplem.eu reports that Apple will be refreshing its online store with a minor update for the MacBook Air on February 24.
It's not the massive retina MacBook Air update we've been waiting for, however the website claims processor, storage, and RAM improvements will be landing on the ultra-thin laptop - specifics weren't shared.
Apple could be holding a special event at the end of February, reports French Apple blog iGen. According to sources, Tuesday, February 24th could be the specific date Apple has chosen for this event, which would likely focus on an official Apple Watch launch, and possibly the the long-rumored 12-inch MacBook Air.
If the rumors pan out, we could see both an iPad Pro and a Retina upgrade to the MacBook Air some time in the following months, possibly as soon as April.
Both are thought to include an ultra high-resolution screen measuring about twelve inches diagonally, run quietly thanks to fanless design and the latest power-savvy chips and redefine portability with an even lighter and thinner appearance. True, you'd be hard-pressed to call a twelve-inch tablet ultra portable.
But given Apple's obsession with thinness and lightness, I suspect a larger iPad could be easier to carry around than you'd think. And assuming that rumored creative stylus accessory is indeed in the works, Apple would be wise to create a vastly improved iOS version with true multitasking, side-by-side apps and other productivity features.
With a proper OS, powerful chips, a screen to die for and an optional accessory, the iPad Pro could be the ultimate productivity tablet you've been waiting for.
On the other hand, the twelve-inch Air is said to be almost as light and thin as the iPad. It's poised to blur the line between the notebook and the tablet even further. Therefore, why bother struggling with an oversized tablet if the new Air will be just as light and thin, while offering a built-in keyboard and OS X?
There's a lot going on at Apple right now. Record quarters aside, there is a lot to be hopeful for as 2015 gets into full swing, and not just because the fabled Apple Watch is finally on the horizon. If the rumors are to be believed we could see both the iPad Pro and 12-inch MacBook Air some time in the next eleven months, and both have plenty of people excited.
The iPad Pro story is one that has gone on for years now, and with photos of supposed parts for the new tablet starting to crop up, it's looking more and more likely that not only is the thing real, but it's not too far away either.
The same can be said about the 12-inch MacBook Air. Again, photographs of what it is claimed are parts for the unannounced product have started to circulate around the internet, and the noises that it might only have one USB Type-C connector rather than a MagSafe for power have meant that there have been plenty of column inches and podcast hours afforded to the subject.
But what is all the excitement really about, and more importantly, is it justified?
I currently have two machines running Yosemite: one is a brand new Retina iMac, and the other is an older MacBook Air. Both these machines have been feeling incredibly slow in regards to general animations of the User Interface. One obvious way to test this is to bring up Exposé, which then turns both my Macs into stuttering slugs. While I can kind of understand why my old MacBook Air would behave like this, there is absolutely no excuse for my iMac to. Talking about this issue with someone at the Apple Store, I was offered an original workaround.
Pretty accurate KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a brand new note to clients. In it, he confirmed an earlier report calling for a March release date of the Apple Watch (remember, Apple's retail boss mentioned a vague Spring release date).
In the note, a copy of which was obtained last evening by MacRumors, Kuo also claims that a rumored MacBook Air refresh with a twelve-inch Retina display and a radically redesigned chassis will go on sale during the first quarter of this year.
As soon as Chinese website iFanr posted a bunch of photos last night showing what appears to be a display assembly for Apple's rumored twelve-inch Retina MacBook Air, one particular design feature immediately stood out: a polished logo on the lid.
And if the latest leak published by French blog NowhereElse.fr is anything to go by, it seems that Apple's radically redesigned notebook will in fact lose its traditional backlit translucent logo on the lid in favor of a metallic one that doesn't glow.
Chinese website iFanr on Friday posted a series of claimed photographs said to depict a display for Apple's rumored MacBook Air redesign featuring a twelve-inch Retina screen display assembly with black glass cover and a polished Apple logo.
Earlier in the month, Taiwanese trade publication learned that Apple supplier Quanta Computer had begun ramping up production of the upcoming 12-inch MacBook Air ahead of launch sometime in the first quarter of 2015.
Contract fabricator Quanta Computer is ramping up production of the highly anticipated MacBook Air model with a twelve-inch screen as Apple preps to launch the forthcoming ultra-portable during the first quarter of this year, if a new report by DigiTimes, a Taiwanese trade publication, is an indication.
Well-informed blogger Mark Gurman recently claimed that Apple is expected to raise the bar on notebook portability by engineering a lighter, thinner computer without a fan that ditches standard USB ports, the SD Card slot, Thunderbolt I/O and the MagSafe power connector in favor of a single, fully reversible USB 3.1 Type-C port.
Our favorite rendering artist, Martin Hajek, has created a gorgeous batch of renderings based on the mockups and information from 9to5Mac's scoop regarding Apple's rumored one-port 12-inch Air.
The images give a closer look at some of the rumored features of the purported notebook that've been making rounds, such as distinct iPhone-like finishes in Silver, Space Grey and Gold.
I've included the gorgeous renderings for your enjoyment right below.