Although Apple was a no-show at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, the MacBook Air is still constantly mentioned in the news as a number of new laptops are said to pit against Apple's portable computer. But despite the growing competition and the emergence of high-specced devices, a lot of people are still waiting for the new MacBook Air, which is predicted to pack stellar specs and features.

According to Apple-centric website 9to5Mac, the new MacBook Air will only support the USB 3.0 Type-C port replacing the USB 2.0 ports as well the MagSafe charging port that are included in the current models. This will pave the way for thinner models as the USB 3.0 slot and a headphone jack will be the only ports that will remain in the new model. 

This is backed by the report from Taiwanese media source DigiTimes, which revealed that the MacBook Air will sport a thinner chassis, shedding some weight off of the device. In addition, the Intel Broadwell processor said to power the laptop will yield to a fanless design that will make the device lightweight. 

Another alleged feature of the laptop is a 12-inch Retina screen display that falls in between the 11-inch and 13-inch models. Apple is also revamping the keyboard, incorporating an edge-to-edge design with a trackpad without the physical right and left clicker. Lastly, the laptop will have longer-lasting battery. 

The device was supposed to be due last year. However, Apple allegedly postponed the release of the laptop to wait for Intel's new Broadwell chipset announced at the CES. 

DigiTimes added that the 12-inch MacBook Air will head into production early this year. This prompted speculations that the laptop may hit the market in April. This is supported by the release of the MacBook Air with Intel Haswell processors in April 2014.

However, Apple is tight-lipped regarding the details of its devices and roadmap this year.