New Slim 12" MacBook and MacBook Air Updates Soon

A new forum post on Weiphone.com [Google Translation] has revealed a number of details about Apple's upcoming plans for its MacBook notebooks as well as some details about its iWatch initiative. The author of the post has posted legitimate leaks and photos of un-released MacBook hardware in the past, lending credibility to this new information.

macbook air line

The poster writes about the upcoming MacBook Pro line as well as a new 12" notebook that has previously been predicted, suggesting the future MacBook could be released without a fan assembly and with a redesigned trackpad. A MacRumors reader provides a summary translation of the post:

1. MacBook Air updates are coming soon; MacBook Pro updates won't occur until September.
2. He discusses a new 12 inch notebook without fan assembly. It comes with a new trackpad design that doesn't include the mechanical button, as we do on current MacBooks.
3. An Apple watch device does exist but still in prototype stage, so its announcement won't come anytime soon.

It is not entirely clear where a potential 12" MacBook might fit into Apple's product line. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first predicted in October that Apple would be releasing a 12" slim MacBook with a Retina Display this later 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. The offering will likely be lighter and slimmer than the existing MacBook Air to further highlight ease of portability in the cloud computing era.

The buttonless trackpad design that the author describes may be related to a recent patent application by Apple, which describes a buttonless trackpad that uses an array of sensors and an actuator to mimic the function and tactile feedback of the current trackpad.

The author of the post also comments on Apple's much-rumored smart watch, noting that it remains in the prototype stages and is unlikely to see a release soon. That is in line with other rumors, which have targeted a late 2014 release date for the product.

Related Forum: MacBook

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

iPhones Could Cost Up to $2,300 in the U.S. Due to Tariffs, Analyst Says

Friday April 4, 2025 9:30 am PDT by
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that steep tariffs will be applied to imports from many countries, starting April 9. The tariffs could have a significant impact on Apple, as the company assembles the majority of iPhones in China, and products imported to the U.S. from China will be subject to a 54% tariff. iPhone prices could increase by up to 43% in the U.S. due to the...
iphone 16 pro colors 1

Is Now the Time to Upgrade Apple Devices Before Tariffs Lead to Price Increases?

Friday April 4, 2025 3:41 pm PDT by
If you have an older Apple device that you've been considering upgrading, you're probably wondering how the newly announced tariffs might impact prices going forward, and whether it's worth buying now before there's a price hike. Given analyst and economist responses to the tariffs, market panic, and Trump's stance on the current financial chaos, the answer is that making a purchase...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Tuesday April 1, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Apple has released iOS 18.4, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new things your ‌iPhone‌ ...
Apple Logo Cash Orange

Apple Stock Sell-Off Continues After China Unveils Matching Tariffs

Friday April 4, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple stock dropped 4% in early Friday trading, broadly following yesterday's trend after China announced reciprocal tariffs in response to U.S. President Trump's trade policies. The latest decline follows Thursday's dramatic 9% plunge that erased nearly $300 billion from Apple's market value – the company's worst single-day performance in five years – amid growing fears that Trump's...

Top Rated Comments

gregwyattjr Avatar
144 months ago
This article just made my night.

...I don't go out much.
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tkermit Avatar
144 months ago
Would love a completely noiseless notebook without any moving parts...
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Menneisyys2 Avatar
144 months ago
17" MBP please!
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Karma*Police Avatar
144 months ago
If this rumor is true, I don't see the point of keeping the 11" and 13" Airs. Sounds like this is a perfect replacement for both... It also simplifies the decision making process for consumers and reduces costs for Apple.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yr Blues Avatar
144 months ago
there will be no distinction between the air and pro

just have a line of Macbooks of varying sizes, all of which have retina

drop the pro/air label

same with the ipad. every new ipad is going to be thinner and lighter, just drop the air name

go by year, like cars. 2014 12" MacBook … 2014 9.7" iPad, 2014 7.9" iPad (or 10" and 8" for simplicity)

it's classier and minimalistic
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ashwin4 Avatar
144 months ago
Retina Display! finally on the airs :)
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)