MacBook Air Retina Release Date: Bad News for Buyers

The MacBook Air Retina release date is not coming anytime soon according to a new report claiming Apple’s more portable MacBook Air Retina with a high-resolution display will not show up at the Apple Event slated for October 16th.

For months rumors of a new MacBook Air with a Retina Display circulated and some reports claimed Apple would deliver this much-wanted upgrade before the end of the year.

As the October Apple Event draws closer we are learning that Apple is unlikely to announce the Retina MacBook Air at the event which will focus on OS X Yosemite, a new iPad Air 2 and a Retina iMac that may pack a 5k display.

Sources tell John Paczkowski of Re/Code that Apple is not ready to announce the new MacBook Air with a Retina display,  but that the company is working on the device.

This is sad news for buyers hoping to learn about this new Apple notebook including the MacBook Air Retina release date that we originally expected in time for the holiday shopping season.

Apple normally holds an event to announce new products like this, so a small online announcement seems unlikely. Apple normally issues small updates to the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air line with a press release and a new model in the Apple Store.

If there is still to be a MacBook Air Retina release date in 2014, Apple may need to schedule another small event in November, or we could see the new MacBook Air with Retina display slip into 2015.

Buyers are eager for a new MacBook Air Retina after seeing the benefits of the pixel-packing Macbook Pro Retina that Apple updated last October with better battery life and a slightly thinner design. The MacBook Air is Apple’s thinnest and lightest notebook, and it’s screen is no slouch compared to most other thin-and-light notebooks, but it is not a Retina Display.

Apple will reportedly use new Intel processors to deliver a MacBook Air Retina with more power, a higher resolution screen and still deliver good battery life. The current MacBook Air is capable of delivering 12 or more hours of battery life. It is not as good for video editing and other tasks as a MacBook Pro Retina.

Intel announced that these chips would be in notebooks arriving this year, but broader availability is coming in the first half of 2015, which may be when you finally see a MacBook Air Retina release date.

 

Early reports point to a new design for this machine which could include a 12-inch Retina display in a frame the size of the 11-inch MacBook Air. The new Intel processor will reportedly allow for a fanless design that is also thinner than the current MacBook Air. The new design may also include a click-less touchpad.

David Hsieh of NPD DisplaySearch reported the possibility of a 2,304 x 1,440 resolution for the MacBook Air Retina and recently Jack March reports that the thinner design will usher in support of a new USB Type C connector and possibly a new type of MagSafe charging. The report also mentions a keyboard that goes from edge to edge, a speaker grill visible above the keyboard and a chance for silver, space gray and gold MacBook Air Retina color options in 2015.