Production almost underway, new design inside and out

Dec 22, 2014 14:43 GMT  ·  By

Apple is on track to introducing an all-new MacBook Air next year featuring a thinner chassis and upgraded internals, including a rumored 12-inch Retina display.

A report from Taiwan indicates that the factories tasked with assembling these systems are experiencing some hurdles. Nonetheless, mass production is expected to kick into gear in the first quarter of 2015.

New design, faster processor

Despite not mentioning the Retina-grade display, the supply chain sources cited by DigiTimes not that Apple’s upcoming notebook will sport a 12.2-inch screen (measured on the diagonal). The MacBook Air has remained the only Macintosh line equipped with a display that doesn’t support the specification at the moment. All signs point to this screen being of Retina quality.

For those who are not in the loop, Retina is a marketing term used by Apple to designate pixels so small and dense they can’t be individually “resolved” by the human eye at a normal viewing distance.

The chassis will be redesigned to “reduce the device's overall thickness and weight.” The CPU is Intel Broadwell, according to the sources. These people note that “the start of mass production has been hampered by low yield rates,” adding that “mass production is expected to come in the first quarter of 2015 [...] as the yield issue is gradually being resolved.”

Targeting the high-end market, the new 12-inch MacBook Air will reportedly have only “limited shipments,” but still enough to keep Apple at the forefront of the ultra-thin segment. Quanta Computer will assemble the device.

Apple Watch tidbit

The report from Taiwan also includes a couple of lines about the impending launch of Apple’s wearable device. Supply chain sources say the device will enter mass production in three months from now, which is certainly disappointing for those who expected the watch to roll out early next year, but still on track to meet Apple’s “Early 2015” estimate.

At the moment, the supply chain is said to be preparing components for the device. Needless to point out, if anything goes wrong from here on, the launch date could be pushed to summer.

Pricing and availability

The Apple Watch will most likely roll out at the end of spring, carrying an entry-level price of $350 in the United States and €350 across Europe (with some exceptions, of course.)

The mid-tier model made of steel and featuring a bigger screen is expected to retail for $500 / €500, while the high-end Apple Watch Edition (made of gold) will reportedly sell in the thousands of dollars.

As for the 12-inch MacBook Air, no one really knows how much it will cost, but there’s a good chance it will sell for more than $999 / €999 (the current entry-level price for the 13-inch model).

MacBook Air / Apple Watch (10 Images)

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