We reported earlier this month that according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo Apple will be releasing a cheaper MacBook Air at the end of this year. A second report now backs up Kuo’s claims.
According to this new report from DigiTimes, the new entry-level MacBook is likely to have a similar price tag to the MacBook Air, which starts to $999. Apple was supposedly set to use a Chinese manufacturer to make the display for the new MacBook, however, as a result of quality issues, they are now using LG Display. LG will enter mass production at the end of May. They will be producing a-Si panels with a resolution of 2,560 by 1,600 pixels. This is a big increase from the 1,440 by 900-pixel panel used in the current MacBook Air. This new screen will, therefore, qualify as a Retina display and if this device is branded as an ‘Air’ it will be the first of its kind to have a Retina display.
However, if this new MacBook is not in the ‘Air’ family, it is likely we could see two new entry-level prices for the Air and Retina MacBook lines.
70% of the orders will be handled by Quanta and 30% by Foxconn and Apple is likely to ship between four and six million units in 2018.
