Apple could plan a MacBook Air makeover, data shows - CNET

A future MacBook Air may depart from the 11- and 13-inch designs to date.

(Credit: Apple)

A redesign of the MacBook Air may arrive in 2014, if a research note from DisplaySearch proves to be accurate.

As CNET reported this week, analyst firm NPD DisplaySearch anticipates that Apple may plan a larger 4.7-inch iPhone, a 5.7-inch phablet, a 1.3-inch iWatch, and a 12.9-inch iPad-like device, among other products.

Buried among the speculation about future iPads and iWatches was also data about a Retina MacBook Air due in 2014.

The speculative data about the future Air was tagged with the parenthetical "new," implying a new design. That redesign appears to be pegged to its size.

Instead of the 11.6- and 13.3-inch Airs to date, this would have a 12-inch screen with a much higher resolution.

The 2,304x1,440 display would jump to 226 pixels per inch (PPI) from an unimpressive 127 and 135 pixels per inch for the current 13.3-inch (1,440x900) and 11.6-inch (1,366x768) MBAs, respectively.

And that 226 number would almost exactly match the gorgeous 227-pixels-per-inch Retina display on the current 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro.

Whatever Apple ultimately decides, it seems certain that the ultraportable laptop will get a physical makeover. The MBA hasn't seen a physical redesign or display change since late 2010, when Apple introduced a new chassis and debuted the 11.6-inch Air.

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