Rumors say a refreshing fanless MacBook Air with new trackpad is coming

(Credit: Apple)MacBook Air.

Rumors spread from Asia on Friday, claiming Apple is seeking to refresh its lineup of MacBook Air, to introduce a slimmed 12-inch no-fan version, with a new trackpad design that gets rid of its present mechanical click button.

A post on Chinese forum WeiPhone, from somebody who has previously revealed legitimate info and photos of unreleased Apple hardware, said Apple plans a refreshed MacBook sometime soon. MacRumors was the first publisher to spot the post.

The post mentioned a 12-inch notebook without a fan assembly, which is akin to current iOS device lineup. The model has a trackpad eschewing the mechanical button in favor of a yet unknown input solution.

While outsiders speculate, Apple could implement a recent patent which replaces the click button with optical and force sensors. According to Karen Haslam in a post on MacWorld, a fanless design has its advantage, such as a quiet operation and no moving parts for the device, making it less likely to break. If it makes use of space for battery, then a bigger battery in place instead will offer higher capacity.

The rumored laptop is quite similar to what Ming–Chi-Kuo, KGI analyst, mentioned on October 2013 in a report on Apple Insider. Kuo said the device would highlight a Retina display and an "ultra-slim clamshell form factor." He added the new device would again redefine laptop computing as MacBook Air.

The post says the refreshed MacBook Air lineup will come soon, while the MacBook Pro series update will be later this year.

The forum also mentions that Cupertino is working on "iWatch" though it is still in prototyping stage. The announcement of it is not expected to be soon.

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