MacBook Air 2016 release date, specs news: Apple planning to release new laptops, desktops October?

[photo: Commons Wikimedia/Kris Mendoza]

Although Apple has confirmed a press event for next week, it is said that the Sept. 7 event is only for the new iPhone and Apple Watch 2. However, the Cupertino-based tech giant is still planning another launch, this time an October debut for its new MacBooks.

According to MacRumors, Apple is planning an October debut for its new laptop lineups, including the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. In addition, a refreshed iMac is also on the way. While launching in October, the new laptops and workstations are expected to release later this year, possibly by the holidays.

Apple has yet to come out with concrete plans for the said event, though supposed specs and improvements for the new MacBook lineups have already made their way online. According to speculations, Apple will redesign the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, with the former integrating a multi-functional USB Type-C port. This means that an improvement on its design, making for a slimmer and lighter profile, is also expected.

Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro is also expected to come out with a number of improvements, being the top-tier laptop series for the Cupertino-based tech maker. Bloomberg reports that one noted improvement for the MacBook Pro is the introduction of a digital key display on the top row of the keyboard. This may be the rumored OLED strip panel in earlier supposed leaks, appearing as function keys depending on the opened app by the user.

Although Apple has yet to confirm the new specs for the new MacBooks, it is expected that the new lineups will come out with the seventh-gen Kaby Lake processors, particularly since Intel has already started shipping out the new processor to its partners. In addition, Apple may choose to use AMD graphics for its new laptops, especially the new Polaris-architecture GPUs.