New Retina MacBook Air release date and rumours, new 12-inch MacBook Air expected

In this article, we explore some of the rumours about Apple’s MacBook Air with Retina display. Stay up to date with the latest Retina MacBook Air release date rumours including claims that a new 12-inch model is coming soon

by Karen Haslam , 30 Jan 14

In this new MacBook Air with Retina display release date rumours article we aim to bring you everything we know about Apple’s Retina MacBook Air release date so you’ll know exactly when the new Retina MacBook Air will launch. We’ll also be examining the rumours circulating the web – and we’ll assess whether they are credible. Finally, we will show you any Retina MacBook Air images that surface online. So check back here regularly for the latest new MacBook Air with Retina display speculation. Last updated 30 January 2013 with information about a new 12-inch MacBook Air that is said to be in the pipeline.

New Retina MacBook Air release date

Apple unveiled the latest MacBook Air at WWDC in June 2013. This was exactly one year after Apple updated its MacBook Air line up at WWDC in June 2012, so a June 2014 release date for the new Retina MacBook Air seems likely.

Last October KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo speculated that a new MacBook Air would launch in Q2 or Q3 of 2014, which points to the April – September time frame.

There is a reason why an update could come sooner: When Apple updated the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, it lowered the price, making that model much more attractive than the MacBook Air. Read our Which Apple Laptop: MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro comparative review for more information. To keep the MacBook Air an attractive proposition for customers, there is a chance that Apple will update it sooner than June.

New Retina MacBook Air rumours – Retina display

Will the next MacBook Air feature a Retina display? It is possible, although it could equally be the case that there is no Retina display, with Apple opting to instead keep prices down and offer the new MacBook Air at a lower price.

Canalys analyst Daniel Matte has recently written a blog claiming that Applw will add a Retina display to the MacBook Air this year. He expects that we will see a 11.88-inch model with a resolution of 2732×1536 pixels, the same 264ppi that the iPad Air offers. He explains the significance of Apple using the same display technology for the MacBook Air and iPad Air, stating: “It turns out that an ~11.88” Retina MacBook Air with a 2732 x 1536 resolution happens to have the exact same pixel density as the 9.7” 2048 x 1536 Retina iPads: ~264 PPI. It would make sense for Apple to take advantage of the same display technology it has been utilizing for the 9.7” iPads by cutting their panels to this larger size.”

The current 11.6-inch MacBook Air offers a 1366 x 768 pixel display.

Matte seems to be suggesting that there may only be one MacBook Air – this new 12-inch model, with the 13-inch model being fazed out in favour of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested back in October 2013 that Apple has a number of new products in the works for 2014, one of which being this 12-inch MacBook Air. At the time Kuo suggested that this new MacBook Air would have an entirely new design along with this high-res Retina display.

The rumours of a MacBook Air with Retina display have been long running. Back in February 2013, rumours suggested that Apple was planning to launch a revamped MacBook Air with a Retina display in the third-quarter of 2013. A separate report in March 2013 also claimed that Apple would introduce a Retina display to the MacBook Air in 2013. Since this didn’t happen in 2013, it is perhaps likely for 2014.

Apple does appear to be moving the whole of its range to Retina display. The company updated the Retina versions of its MacBook Pro in 2013, and also introduced a Retina iPad mini in October 2013.

Wondering what the Retina display fuss is all about? Read: What is a Retina display?

New Retina MacBook Air price

As mentioned above, in 2013 Apple introduced a new lower entry price for the Retina MacBook Pro. With very little difference in price now between the Retina MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air, it looks likely that Apple will soon reduce the price of the MacBook Air.

When it first launched in October 2012, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display started at £1,449. This was reduced to £1,249 a few months later when the range received a processor upgrade. Now the entry-level price is a much more compelling £1,099.

The MacBook Air pricing starts at £849, so that’s a £250 saving, however, if you wanted to compare like for like, the 13-inch MacBook Air pricing starts at £949, just £150 less than the Retina model.

This may mean that the new entry-level MacBook Air is priced at around £749.

In his predictions last year, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the price of this new 12-inch MacBook Air model could be lower than the current line up of Mac laptops.

Read:Which 13-inch MacBook

The new MacBook Air might not use Intel chips

This rumour has been floating around for some time. It is possible that Apple will ditch the Intel processor in its range of laptop in favour of its own home-made A-series chips, like those found in the iPad and iPhone.

Some have even speculated that the new MacBook Air could mark some sort of crossover between the iPad and the MacBook, perhaps an iPad Pro.

The new MacBook Air will be solar powered

Ok, so this is a bit of an out-there rumour, but it really is possible that Apple will one day release a new MacBook Air with a solar powered display.

In January 2013, Apple was granted a patent that described a method for harnessing sunlight to illuminate a MacBook’s display. This patent is actually the seventh solar-related patent Apple has gained in the past two years.