The expected MacBook Air 2015 gets an overhaul with killer features, a 12-inch screen size, reversible USB ports, and SD card slot to compete with lighter and more powerful competitors.
The supposed 12-inch MacBook Air 2015, which is between the 11-inch and 13-inch models of previous MacBook versions, is expected to be revealed soon. Rumors say the 12-incher will be trading in Haswell chips for the latest Broadwell chips from Intel as part of its improvements.
In comparison with Intel's previous Haswell chips, Latinos Post mentions, "Notebooks that came with Broadwell chips usually displayed faster processing abilities and also a slightly better battery life."
Apart from Broadwell chips, the latest MacBook Air offering from Apple is also rumored to come with the reversible USB Type-C port, which is smaller than USB 3 ports. Moreover, MagSafe inductive charging capabilities will also be seen on the model. "It is said to be lighter, with the chassis redesigned to make it slimmer than its predecessors," the article says.
IB Times also mentions the 12-inch hybrid supporting SD card slots along with the "Retina treatment which Apple refused to incorporate for years."
Multiple colors of the MacBook Air Retina are also a possibility. No information has been revealed about the price range yet, but Apple is expected to "consider reducing prices once more" after MacBook Air was released in April with a price tag $100 less than a previous model.
Furthermore, the MacBook Air Retina is rumored to be matching "lightweight and desirable laptops" from competitors.
According to Gizmag, the 2014 version of MacBook Air is bested by Samsung's Ativ Book 9 in terms of weight, with the latter being 12% lighter despite being 5% larger. This is despite Ativ Book 9 sporting an aluminum body similar to its competitor. Moreover, Ativ "gives you 16 percent more screen" than the 11-inch MacBook Air 2014 and "16 percent less display than the 13-in Air."
MacBook Air 2014 has also been behind in its screen resolution, with it only sporting 135 ppi compared to Ativ book 9's 247 ppi, giving "crisp, colorful and gorgeous display."
Apart from Ativ 9, MacBook Air 2015 will also be going up against Dell's XPS 13, which has an "extremely light and thin build."
Along with the 12-inch model, "refreshed" MacBook Air models will also be introduced. Should the MacBook Air 2015 be released in February as rumored, it will come alongside new machines coming with Core i5 and i7 processor options from the Cupertino-based company.
While the February 24 introduction of the MacBook Air Retina is still a speculation, another date being considered is March 31.
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