A new report from Trendforce shows that Apple will release a new Macbook Air in either September or October to meet a third quarter deadline.
The research firm from Taiwan said: “The second quarter was the transition period when Apple was preparing for the releases of the upcoming new MacBook devices for the year. TrendForce therefore expects MacBook shipments to again post a large QoQ increase in 3Q18, as Apple will be releasing a new MacBook Pro at the start of the quarter and a new MacBook Air at the end of the quarter”.
Analysts have suspected that Apple will release a new entry-level notebook later this year but TrendForce are the first major reputable source to specifically say the new release will be a Macbook Air.
Quarter Three or four
Earlier in the year, DigiTimes, said that the new Macbook Air would be the first to feature a Retina display in the second half of 2018 and later said that it would have a 13 inch screen. The manufacturer Quanta also confirmed that they would assemble a new range of inexpensive notebooks from Apple in the fourth quarter.
Bloomberg News’ Apple expert Mark Gurman has written that he expects there to be at least one entry-level notebook and they will have a starting price of $999 or less in the United States.
The current Macbook Air range has not been updated in over the years. The 11 inch model has been discontinued in this time and while the Broadwell processor on the existing 13 inch model has received a minor increase in speed, it is still from the 2014-2015 era.
New iPhones and more
Apple could announce the new Macbook Air via a press event or press release in the fall or schedule one specifically for September or October. Traditionally September is the month when Apple announces new iPhones with bigger hardware announced in October.
This year we are expecting to see at least three new iPhones, new AirPods and a new Apple Watch Series 4 being released to the public. There could also be new versions of the iMac and Mac mini along with the iPad Pro with Face ID so this would make it a bumper fall for Apple aficionados!