What’s in store for the MacBook Air in 2017?
One of the most notable features of the 2016 MacBook Pro is, of course, the touch bar, advertised with the slogan ‘a touch of genius’. While the majority of Apple hardware upgrades take place under the hood, the inclusion of a touch bar was seen as a return of that Apple innovation fans have come to love.
With 2016 behind us, fans can now look towards the future, with the yearly Macbook upgrade not far away. The MacBook and MacBook Air were left almost unmentioned this past October when the Pro stole the show. The 11-inch MacBook Air was then quietly removed from stores and discontinued, begging the question: what’s in store for the 13-inch model this coming year?
MacBook Airs are overdue for a reboot, having long since lost their selling point of ‘thinnest laptop in the world’. The redesigned 12-inch MacBook, released in 2015, boasts a thinner and lighter casing in an array of colours, however it still does not match with the up to 12-hour battery life of the MacBook Air, which remains a key feature of the product.
Perhaps 2017 will see a revitalised model of the MacBook Air, or perhaps a discontinuation owing to the MacBook’s new design. Although, with price points for the MacBook Air being one of the only Apple laptop options available for less that £1,000, a pricing restructure would most likely be needed before this could take place. After the first release of the MacBook Air in 2009, the price was lowered by 2011 and they became Apple’s entry level laptops. We may see a repeat of this in the case of the MacBooks this coming year if the Airs are to be discontinued.
If you’re in the market for a new Apple laptop, perhaps 2017 will be the year for you to invest. With new Apple Macs rumoured to be released this coming summer, there is not too long to wait. Only time will tell if MacBook Airs will continue to be a feature in the Apple Store for the years to come, or if they will meet the same fate as the 11-inch model.
