Over the last few weeks we have seen a lot of attention being paid to the future of Apple’s mobile hardware and software. The annual speculation surrounding the next iteration of iOS has inevitably reared it’s head ahead of this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco. We’ve also been hearing about a number of possible inclusions that could form part of the next-generation iPhone. However, if mobile isn’t your thing then a new post on Weiphone that outlines the purported future of Apple’s MacBook lineup could be of extreme interest.
The forum based post comes from a source that has been known to provide legitimate information in the past, which always helps to increase credibility of ongoing predictions. The information suggests that Apple has plans to update its MacBook Air lineup imminently. Users of Apple notebooks who require a more professional tool will need to wait a little bit longer, with the revamp to the MacBook Pro lineup not expected until September of this year.
As we see Apple refresh the MacBook lineup it’s likely that we will be introduced to a new model. The forum post, as well as other credible other sources, go on record as predicting that Apple will introduce a 12-inch MacBook at some point this year. The purported machine will feature an entirely new trackpad design that removes the mechanical button feature, and will ship without a fan assembly. Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known analyst at KGI Securities, first predicted the existence of a Retina ready 12-inch model last year:
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.
In addition to discussing the future of the MacBook, the author also provides a small insight into the future of an Apple wearable. The much-speculated “iWatch” does indeed exist, and while no intricate details are provided regarding its form or functionality, it is believed to be currently in an advanced prototype state. We’ve been expecting Apple to introduce such a product to the market late in 2014, a launch date that seems to remain likely. The only question now is whether or not it will actually be a watch, or if the Cupertino based company will take a different direction with their iOS-based wearable.
(Source: Weiphone [Google Translate])
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