Don't Hold Your Breath For A Retina MacBook Air This Week

MacBook Air lovers may be crying out for a Retina display upgrade to their favorited ultraportable, but Apple will leave them wanting after Thursday's event, according to new leaks. A higher-resolution version of the MacBook Air, following its more expensive MacBook Pro sibling, has been rumored for some time now, with chatter back in July suggesting the pixel-packed notebook was headed into production imminently. However, for one reason or another, the new laptop won't actually be taking the stage in Cupertino this Thursday.

Instead, sources tell Re/code, it will be other products that occupy the limelight. According to the rumors, we can expect a new set of iPads along with an iMac with a higher-resolution display, along with the public release of OS X Yosemite.

Apple was believed to have begun production of the Retina Air in August, which at the time led to estimates of a roughly October release window.

It's unclear whether production issues have scuppered an initial intention to show off the new notebook later this week, or if indeed it was never Apple's intention either way. One possibility is that Apple could have decided not to overload the event with too broad a new range of products.

However another possibility is that shortages in the supply chain of high-resolution LCD panels could have forced Apple to push back its release.

Meanwhile, a well-rumored 12-inch MacBook Air is expected to launch early in the new year. Built around Intel's latest super-frugal Broadwell processors, the notebook is said to be fanless as well as even more compact than the current 11- and 13-inch models.

SOURCE Re/code