Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that he believes Apple is working on a "more affordable MacBook Air" set to be released at some point in 2018, a rumor that has been echoed by several other sources.t
There has been a lot of uncertainty over whether this new machine will be in the MacBook or the MacBook Air family, and mixed rumors have made Apple's plans unclear.
Kuo originally said the upcoming low-cost machine would be in the MacBook Air family, but he later changed his mind. He now believes the notebook could "replace the position" of the current 12-inch MacBook.
Kuo's wording is somewhat unclear, though, so it's not known if he believes Apple is replacing the entire MacBook line with new lower-priced machines or if he just expects this to be an entry-level MacBook offering to replace the current version of the MacBook.
DigiTimes has said that Apple is working on a new entry-level 13-inch MacBook in the second half of 2018, which would serve as a replacement for the MacBook Air. The machine would be priced somewhere around $1,200, which is right in line with the current cost of the 12-inch MacBook.
Bloomberg, meanwhile, says Apple is working on a new MacBook that costs under $1,000 and is in the MacBook Air family, and Taiwanese site Economic Daily News believes Apple is working on a more affordable version of the MacBook Air with a price point of $799 to $899.
Regardless of how much the new notebook costs and whether it will be a MacBook or a MacBook Air, there are some concrete details that have surfaced. The machine is expected to feature a design similar to the current 13-inch MacBook Air, but with slimmer bezels and a Retina display.
Given the rumors of a Retina display, it's not clear how a 13-inch MacBook device with a Retina screen fits in with the 12-inch MacBook. A Retina display and a larger body are the only features that distinguish the current MacBook Air from the 12-inch MacBook, so it sounds like these two lines are converging in some way.
Economic Daily News believes the rumored MacBook Air successor will use Intel's Kaby Lake Refresh processors, which came out in the second half of 2017. Apple is planning to use the 14nm Kaby Lake Refresh chips because of Intel's delays introducing new Cannon Lake chips built on a improved 10nm process.
Intel did, however, introduce new Whiskey Lake chips that would be appropriate for use in an upgraded MacBook Air in August, so the MacBook Air could also use the newer Whiskey Lake chips that offer better performance and improved battery life.
Quanta is said to be fulfilling orders for Apple's new "inexpensive notebook" starting in the fourth quarter of 2018, which suggests a launch in September or October.
According to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, Apple is planning to introduce a new MacBook Air at the end of the third quarter. This likely pertains to the low-cost notebook that other rumors have referred to.
Apple in July registered new iPad models and Macs with the Eurasian Economic Commission, something that the company does ahead of a new product launch. This suggests refreshed iPad and Mac devices are in the works and could be coming soon.
The five Mac model numbers include A1931, A1932, A1988, A1989 and A1990, suggesting two distinct ranges. The latter three numbers may hint at new 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models, while the first two could pertain to a new MacBook or MacBook Air.
Apple is holding a September event to unveil new iPhones, but we're not expecting to see refreshed Macs at this event. Instead, Apple is likely to have a second event in October that will be used to introduce new Macs and new iPads. If this is the case, we're likely to see the rumored low-cost notebook debut in October.