Will Apple Launch A New MacBook Air?

MacBook Air

(Image Credit: apple.com)

Industry watchers are anticipating the release of a new MacBook Air of Apple. The indicators that point to the coming of the new model are the shrinking supply of the 13.3-inch model of the slim Apple laptop. Only Best Buy has the device on its inventory, while the supply of all the other authorized outlets of the tech giant is reportedly getting smaller.

A reduction in the supply of an Apple product is normally a sign of a new version of that particular product.

However, it remains uncertain if a new MacBook Air will indeed be released by the company. It is expected that the upcoming device will feature the next-generation Haswell processor of Intel. The processor will be launched by June, prior to the Worldwide Developers Conference of Apple. This may give some indication of things to come.

Another question that will be raised in connection to the next version of the slim laptop of Apple is whether it will use the Retina Display that is used in a number of devices of the company. Although using the high-definition display may be expected, it may raise the cost of producing the device, let alone affecting the battery life of the device.

If Apple aims to maintain a notable battery life for the device while using the Retina Display, it may have to sacrifice its slim design. But with the way technology is advancing, Apple may have another ace hidden somewhere up its sleeve.

Snapdragon S4 Devices May Rival MacBook Air 2012

Qualcomm

The Apple MacBook Air 2012 may be facing some competition once the Windows 8 of Microsoft is released into the market. The upcoming version of the Windows OS can support the Snapdragon S4 processor of Qualcomm, which is reportedly good enough to compete with the upcoming version of the MacBook Air 2012 of Apple.

The affordability of the MacBook Air in comparison to the MacBook Pro along with its mobility has added to its popularity among consumers. Even as a number of rivals have attempted to go up against the MacBook Air, Apple has reportedly indicated that they have not been able to be effective against the ultra-thin laptop.

However Apple may have to deal with chip manufacturers with the upcoming introduction of the Snapdragon S4 of Qualcomm. The upcoming Snapdragon S4 processor is a quad-core unit that will be used on ultrabooks that will use the latest Windows 8 OS of Microsoft.

According to Rob Chandhok, the vice president of Qualcomm, the upcoming Snapdragon S4 processor will not be limited to the Windows 8 tablet PCs since it can be used on an ultrabook that may rival the performance of the upcoming MacBook Air 2012.

Laptops using the Snapdragon S4 will be more power efficient and its performance would be enhanced thus allowing the device to be used at a longer period using a single charge. The battery life of devices using ARM chips are longer compared to devices using Intel chips.

A number of Android-powered smartphones are currently using a dual-core version of the Snapdragon S4 processor. One of these smartphones is the HTC One X which is set to be released by AT&T for its LTE network.

For the moment no official statements were released by Apple in connection to the upcoming MacBook Air 2012 although it will be facing the devices using the Snapdragon S4 processor of Qualcomm once it enters the market within the year.

Keeping The MacBook Air One Step Ahead Of The Ultrabook Invasion

MacBook Air

(Image Credit: apple.com)

Although the recent ultrabook devices have not surpassed the performance of the MacBook Air of Apple in the market, they are gradually closing the gap. In order to stay ahead, the MacBook Air may need to create some changes to keep its competitors at bay.

The recent upsurge in ultrabook offerings have started to make some headway in the market although they have not been able to outshine the ultra-slim notebook offering of Apple. The overall user experience has allowed the MacBook Air of Apple to remain on top in the market particularly due to its impressive touch pad and keyboard, impressive uni-body design, remarkable battery life and other features that have appealed to consumers in this particular niche in the tech market.

The existing design of the MacBook Air is nearly a year old and it may have to effect some changes in order to keep its lead in the market. The device needs to add some features that are being offered by its competitors to keep its edge over its rivals.

One important change that Apple should take into consideration with its next version of the MacBook Air is its price tag. A thirteen-inch entry level version of the MacBook Air has a price tag of $1299. However the HP Folio 13, which has the same Core i5 processor from Intel and 128GGB solid state drive, costs only $899. The Dell XPS 13, which is also similar to the MacBook Air, is priced at $999. Although the ultra-slim notebook of Apple may offer a better user experience, time will come where the price will become more important for consumers when they decide on their next ultra-slim notebook purchase.

Apple may also have to take into consideration the addition of an HDMI port, which is found in nearly all ultrabook devices. The current MacBook Air utilizes a mini-DisplayPort and it will be necessary to use an adapter to allow the device to be connected to an external monitor or large-screen television.

The Thunderbolt high speed data port is not quite widely used in the market. Currently most devices feature a USB 2.0 port and recently released ultrabooks and laptops feature a USB 3.0 port, which will become more widely used in the future. This is one feature that Apple may take into consideration for the next version of the MacBook Air.

An Ethernet jack is another feature that the MacBook Air may need in the future even though it can still be connected using an external adapter. With an integrated Ethernet jack, the users of the MacBook Air will not find it difficult to access the internet when the Wi-Fi connection is super-slow.

The current consumer aspect ratio standard is 16:9, and among all MacBook Air devices, only the eleven-inch version of the device features this aspect ratio, The thirteen-inch model along with all the models of the MacBook Pro are still using a 16:10 aspect ratio. Apple may find it worthy to consider this standard since it would allow the device to fit perfectly to the aspect ratio of HD and HDTV video content.

These are just some of the modifications that Apple may want to consider for the next version of the MacBook Air although in the end the company will make the final decisions on the features that it will offer that will optimize the experience among the users of its devices.