Long-Awaited MacBook Air Redesign Rumored to Be Announced at WWDC 2016

Long-Awaited MacBook Air Redesign Rumored to Be Announced at WWDC 2016
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Apple will reportedly debut a new line of MacBook Airs at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, to be held in June 2016. According to reports the thinner and lighter computers will come in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes.

While the reports suggest we will see both 13-inch and 15-inch versions of the redesigned computer, it’s not yet known if the 11-inch version will get the same treatment. The new design will mean that Apple will need a complete redesign of the internal components of the computer, and reports suggest that Apple is currently working with its suppliers on the development of these components.

image2The news comes only around six months after Apple expanded its MacBook lineup with the release of a computer simply called the MacBook. This laptop is both extremely slim and fanless, making use of Intel’s new low voltage processors that don’t require fans. This computer also came with one sole port used for both charging and for data transfer. The port, a USB-C port, has been the subject of much controversy. Even though Apple is offering a dongle to expand the port’s capabilities, many suggest that one port for charging and data transfer simply isn’t enough in todays day and age.

Others, however, suggest that Apple is simply being forward thinking, especially considering the fact that users are increasingly using wireless accessories and service. While once we would have needed ports to use external hard drives, mice, headphones, and so on, wireless headphones and mice are now standard, as is cloud-based storage.

It’s certainly possible that Apple will make similar moves when it comes to the MacBook Air, removing ports in favor of being able to slim down and compact the device, which would make sense considering the computer’s name.

Still, many have expected Apple to discontinue the Air at some point in the near future, with other MacBook models becoming increasingly slim, making the idea of an ultra-slim computer almost redundant.

Of course, it’s important to mention that the reports come from a website called Economic Daily News, which has somewhat of a hit-or-miss record when it comes to leaking Apple rumors, so certainly take the new with a grain of salt.

image3Giving the MacBook Air a new design could definitely help push sales for a computer that has been declining in sales over the past year or so. In fact, it seems especially as though Apple wants to give the line a new life considering the fact that reports suggest that Apple will be adding a 15-inch model to the MacBook Air lineup.

There haven’t really been any radical changes in design for the MacBook Air since the computer’s release in 2008. Obviously there have been changes when it comes to specs, however the overall look of the computer has largely remained the same.

It will certainly be interesting to see whether or not Apple decides to implement a more widespread use of USB-C, especially considering the fact that it is faster and slimmer than other USB ports.

Along with USB-C, Apple is also expected to improve the resolution of the display on the computer, and will also offer standard improvements in things like processor, RAM and storage.

So what design changes should we expect from Apple for the MacBook Air? Apart from obviously being thinner, Apple may well implement some of its other recent technologies into the computer. For example, its likely that the new computer will make use of Apple’s Force Touch technology, which was first implemented in the new MacBook and allows users to input different commands based on how hard they press on the trackpad of the computer.

It’s also likely that we’ll see Apple’s new butterfly keyboard mechanism implemented into the computer. This mechanism essentially slims down the amount of space each key requires, while still offering a fairly comfortable click with the press of each key. Apple may also implement its new speaker designs, aimed at being able to offer a clearer and better sound for things like music listening and video chatting.

Only time will tell what the new MacBook Air ends up looking like, however in general we should expect a computer that looks like a 2016 release rather than a 2008 release.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]

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