After many reports claimed that Apple will launch a redesigned 12-inch Retina MacBook Air model at some point in the first half of 2015, a new report from Taiwan’s Industrial and Commercial Times seems to indicate that Apple might launch the lighter, fanless laptop by the end of 2014.
FROM EARLIER: These are the processors that might power the ultra-thin 12-inch Retina MacBook Air
Apparently, Intel managed to already ship a “Broadwell” Core M batch of chips to Apple — the kind of new energy-efficient processors that will make possible laptop designs without internal fans for heat dissipation — thus making a 2014 launch possible, according to the report. Intel Core M chips supply has been reported to be the main reason Apple delayed the mass production of the Retina MacBook Air model.
With Apple’s holiday announcements already done, however, a launch in 2014 as this report suggests seems beyond unlikely.
Recently, reports have revealed that Intel launched four new Intel Core M processors in addition to the models released earlier this year, speculating that the chips are supposed to go into Apple’s unreleased 12-inch Macbook Air.
Taiwan-based Quanta Computer is supposedly making the Retina MacBook Air tablet for Apple, although more details about the device are not available at this time.
Apple has so far introduced Retina models in various Mac lines, including the MacBook Pro and the iMac, with the Air also expected to receive its own high-resolution display next.
