MacBook Air Rumors: Apple Inc. May Unveil Redesigned Notebook, 15-Inch Model During WWDC 2016

The MacBook Air may get a major facelift next year. Taiwan’s Economic Daily News reports that Apple is preparing to launch a redesign for its line of notebooks -- thinner than its current models.

Apple is expected to launch the new MacBook Air sometime in mid-2016. A likely venue for its announcement would be the Worldwide Developers Conference the company puts on each June. The redesigned MacBook Air is anticipated not only to be thinner but to sport a higher-performance processor. The notebook may also come with a 13-inch display and a new 15-inch display option, up from the 11-inch and 13-inch models Apple has available in its store. But the company hasn’t decided whether to keep its 11-inch model, according to unnamed supply chain sources speaking to the Economic Daily News.

While Apple has released spec upgrades for its MacBook Airs on an annual basis, the line hasn’t seen a significant redesign since 2010. If the smallest MacBook Air were to be replaced, the 12-inch MacBook would be a likely candidate to serve as Apple’s ultraportable option. Not to mention Apple is also is promoting its 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which comes with a display that nearly matches the display on the 13-inch MacBook Air.

Despite faltering sales in the PC market so far in 2015, Apple has been one of the few companies to buck the trend and see positive shipments of 5.6 million Mac desktops and notebooks during the July-September quarter, up 1.5 percent from 5.5 million units last year, according to Gartner. Mac revenue during the holiday quarter is expected to come in at $7 billion, up from $6.9 billion last year, FBR Capital Markets forecasts.