MacBook Air 2014 12-Inch Retina Release Date, Round Up: Fewer Ports on Apple Laptop?

Apple’s upcoming Macbook Air could have fewer connecting slots.
9/20/2014
Updated:
7/18/2015

Apple’s upcoming Macbook Air could have fewer ports.

The Cupertino company could have a new 12-inch Retina MacBook Air in the works as it aims to bring users a laptop that is as portable as the 11-inch MacBook Air and yet still retains the productive capabilities of the 13-inch variant.

Because the 12-inch MacBook Air will use the new 14 namometer Intel Broadwell chip, which features a fanless design, Apple will supposedly be able to do away with the bulge on one end of the laptop, which is there to house the fan unit.

Other features include a redesigned mouse pad that does away with the mechanical button, which means that mouse clicks are going to stay silent on this particular model.

However, there has to be a trade off when something is built that small and slim, and AppleInsider notes that there will be “fewer inputs and outputs on its shrunken frame.”

KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple would release the 12-inch Retina MacBook Air in early 2015 because the 14-nm Intel Broadwell chips were expected be delayed until February 2015.

There is hope for an early release of the 12-inch MacBook Air, however, as Intel has recently said that the “first systems based on the Intel Core M processor [14-nm Intel Broadwell] will be on shelves for the holiday selling season.”

Apple should have an upcoming October launch event for the iPads, and if the new MacBook is going to be a thing this year, expect Apple CEO Tim Cook to at least mention it during his presentation.

Larry Ong is a New York-based journalist with Epoch Times. He writes about China and Hong Kong. He is also a graduate of the National University of Singapore, where he read history.
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