Retina MacBook Air coming in Q3, report claims
updated 01:18 pm EST, Tue February 19, 2013
11-, 13-inch systems allegedly being upgraded
Apple is currently preparing suppliers for the launch of a Retina MacBook Air in the third quarter, according to a Taiwanese publication, Economic Daily. The report suggests that both the 11- and 13-inch models will upgrade to Retina displays, at the same time switching internal architecture to Intel's Haswell platform. Apple supplier Quanta is expected to start receiving components sometime in the second quarter, which begins in April.
The Air has conspicuously gone without a Retina upgrade despite both the 13- and 15-inch models of the MacBook Pro making the switch. Apple may be dealing with several issues when it comes to the Air, such as ensuring good production yields, without which cost and supply become complications. The Air is also meant to be thin and light, and the power and graphics demands of a Retina display could be too much without significant re-engineering.
