14 DAY TRIAL // A report from Taiwan indicates that Apple is on track to phase out its entry-level MacBook Air and replace it with an all-new version of the iPad which sports a 13-inch display.
Sources from Apple’s upstream supply chain are quoted as saying that Apple plans to release a 12.9-inch tablet in October 2014, “targeting North America's educational market.”
According to DigiTimes, the move is to counter Samsung’s upcoming (but unconfirmed) 12- to 13-inch tablets, a scenario that will further dampen ultrabook demand.
The large iPad will reportedly be assembled by Quanta Computer. Apple originally fiddled with 12.9 to 13.3-inch designs, and eventually settled with a 12.9-inch panel size, the sources said.
Finally, the sources speculated that “performance is expected to be a major factor as the tablet is being considered as a substitute of the 11-inch MacBook Air,” according to the report.