Apple May Launch More Affordable Varient Of MacBook Air in Q2

Apple is planning to launch a more affordable variant of the 13-inch MacBook Air in the second quarter of 2018, as per the information sourced.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities was reported revealing that Apple is likely to release a new MacBook Air "with a lower price tag" during the second quarter of 2018, meaning we should see it sooner rather than later.

The new variant has the capacity to push the import of the brand by 10-15% this year, as per the analysts.

The original model of MacBook Air launched by then Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco in 2008, has not been updated since 2015 owing to the company’s shift of focus towards the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro variants.

The 13-inch MacBook Air, a popular choice for college students, is currently sold starting at $999 for 128GB of PCIe-based storage, a 1.8GHz dual-core i5 processor, and 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM.

The device was slightly updated last year in June at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a slightly faster processor, and 8GB of RAM as a default.

Kuo says that KGI is "positive" on shipments of AirPods and predicts the refreshed model will come in the second half of the year, driving strong year over year growth.

The report futher said, “Kuo predicts on the entry-level 6.1-inch model of iPhones this year. Kuo also notes that demand for HomePod has been "mediocre" thus far. Overall, demand for the smart speaker based on "shipping time" is "neutral.”