<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Gigaom]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://gigaom.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Kevin C. Tofel]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[http://search.gigaom.com/author/kevintofel/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Why a new 12-inch MacBook Air could debut alongside Apple Watch]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>A <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-suppliers-told-to-mass-produce-larger-ipad-in-second-half-1425530886">12-inch MacBook Air is in production for the second quarter of this year</a>, reports the <em>Wall Street Journal. </em>That leads to a question about Apple&#8217;s &#8220;Spring Forward&#8221; press event this coming Monday: Will Apple introduce a new laptop alongside its Apple Watch?</p>
<p>There&#8217;s little doubt <a href="https://search.gigaom.com/company/apple/">Apple</a> plans to <a href="https://gigaom.com/2015/02/26/three-big-questions-before-the-apple-watch-event/">reveal all of the Apple Watch details and unanswered questions next week</a>; I&#8217;ll be at the event with a live blog and first impressions of any new products.</p>
<p>If Apple indeed does plan to offer a MacBook Air with a screen size between the currently available 11- and 13-inch models in the second quarter, a March event is plausible. The timing with respect to chips makes sense as well: <a href="http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2015/01/05/the-5th-generation-intel-core-family-of-processors-arrive-to-transform-computing-experiences-cherry-trail-shipping">Intel&#8217;s new Broadwell processors were announced in January</a> and are becoming available to device makers. Production could be underway as a result; Apple would have waited for next-generation chips for a new MacBook Air at this point.</p>
<p><a href="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/silvergray-copy.jpg?quality=80&strip=all"><img  src="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/silvergray-copy.jpg?quality=80&#038;strip=all&#038;w=804&#038;h=467" alt="silvergray-copy" width="804" height="467" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-919048" /></a></p>
<p>News of a <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2015/01/06/macbook-air-12-inch-redesign/">12-inch MacBook Air hit in January</a> with 9to5Mac super-sleuth Mark Gurman detailing the product from internal Apple sources and publishing in-house renders (above) created from the information.</p>
<p>Gurman reported that the 12-inch laptop will actually be closer in size to the current 11-inch MacBook Air due to slimmer bezels, an edge-to-edge keyboard and fewer ports, along with a reversible Type-C USB connector that works for both data transfer and power. Gurman also said the new MacBook Air will have a higher-resolution screen, likely meaning what Apple calls a Retina display on its products.</p>
<p>While the Apple Watch could stand on its own at an event, it&#8217;s worth remembering that it&#8217;s an accessory product to an iPhone. To my knowledge, Apple has never held an event solely for an accessory, although the watch <em>is</em> a completely new product line.</p>
<p>In that regard, I think there&#8217;s a better than 50-50 chance we see a svelte new 12-inch MacBook Air on Monday. Unless Apple plans another event before its WorldWide Developer Conference, expected this year in early June, the timing is right for a new laptop announcement next week.</p>
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