With the introduction of new laptops — some equipped with the latest Intel Broadwell chipset — at the recent Consumers Electronics Show earlier this month, the competition in the notebook division has become tougher. This adds to the pressure on Apple to announce its contender in the battle, the rumored MacBook Air with 12-inch Retina display.
According to Taiwanese media source TechNews, the Cupertino-based tech giant will hold an unlikely press event on Feb. 24 to pull the sheets off the MacBook Air. The much-awaited laptop has long been rumored to feature a 12-inch screen display that settles between the current 11-inch and 13-inch variants. Moreover, the device will be equipped with the Intel Broadwell chip and USB 3.0 Type-C, yielding to a fanless design and thinner profile.
The aforementioned release date coincides with a recent report from another Taiwanese news website DigiTimes, which claimed that Apple is ramping up the production of the 12-inch laptop for its launch in the first quarter of this year. The 12-inch laptop is reportedly being manufactured by Taiwan-based manufacturer Quanta Computer. The said company recently went through a mass hiring process to presumably keep up with the demands and orders by Apple.
Apple Watch is coming, too
The next generation MacBook Air will not be the sole device to be announced on the said date. It has been four months since Apple announced its wearable device, which means that it will not be long before the world finally sees the smart timepiece in all its glory and greatness.
Since Apple announced its smartwatch in September, consumers have not heard a word from the company regarding its release date. Apple just dropped a vague timeline saying that the device will be released "early next year" which many predicted will be this first quarter.
However, 9to5 Mac's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch will be shipped in March and the company's employees will be trained in mid-February. The wearable device will have a price tag starting at $349. However, nothing is concrete until Apple announces the details of the device.
