14 DAY TRIAL // A new MacBook is first on the list for this year’s planned product launches from 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA, according to a source who is known to be reliable on Apple rumors and leaks.
A Weiphone.com user who has reportedly posted legitimate leaks in the past has recently attracted attention from the Apple blogosphere after he claimed that the first new-product launch planned by Apple for 2014 is not the iWatch, but a 12-inch MacBook Air.
“An Apple watch device does exist but still in prototype stage, so its announcement won't come anytime soon,” reads a rough translation of the post.
What is coming soon is a MacBook Air update. The Weiphone poster mentions a new 12-inch notebook without a fan assembly that sports a new trackpad design without a mechanical button. In short, the user says it is “IPAD + keyboard.”
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was among the first to predict that Apple will launch a thinner MacBook sporting a 12-inch Retina display sometime in 2014.
He wrote in October of 2013, “We expect the unprecedented 12" model will boast both the portability of the 11" model, and productivity of the 13" model. The high resolution display will also offer the outstanding visual experience of the Retina MacBook Pro. The offering will likely be lighter and slimmer than the existing MacBook Air to further highlight ease of portability in the cloud computing era.”
And while MacBook Air updates are coming soon, the next MacBook Pro upgrade won't happen until September, the user added.
What’s particularly interesting about the post is the claim regarding Apple still prototyping the iWatch. Many believed the device was almost finished and ready for launch sometime this year, perhaps as early as WWDC 2014. However, if this report is accurate, the company may not go into production with the smart-watch until next year.
The news is particularly upsetting when you consider the immense pressure on Tim Cook’s shoulders to deliver his first, all-new product. Apple prides itself on creating new product categories, and Cook himself promised to do just that in 2014. However, it isn’t clear exactly how big of a novelty a new MacBook can be.
The Cupertino company is also expected to lift the cloth off a new version of the Apple TV this yet, yet the Weiphone report doesn’t mention the device at all. Apple’s first event for 2014 should occur in the next month or so.