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Retina MacBook Air reportedly delayed until 2015

Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display

Issues with the supply chain could mean Apple's rumoured retina MacBook Air won't be making an appearance this year

The long-rumoured 12in MacBook Air has apparently suffered a set-back, meaning Apple will delay the official launch of the Retina display-backing ultraportable until at least next year while it resolves problems in the manufacturing supply chain.

According to a report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News, delays in the arrival of Intel’s 14nm Broadwell processors will prevent Apple from launching a 12in MacBook Air in 2014, despite originally aiming for a September release. The 12in MacBook Air is rumoured to be even thinner than the existing models, with fewer ports on the sides as a result. It should also have a completely digital trackpad, without a physical click as seen on other MacBook models, and could eschew the need for an internal cooling fan thanks to the latest generation Intel CPUs which run cooler than previous models.

The rumoured 12in model was originally expected to launch alongside updated versions of the existing 11in and 13in MacBook Air, but will now instead be kept under wraps until next year. Apple has already refreshed the 11in and 13in models once this year, adding faster processors and reducing the price, but a more radical change was expected to be announced in the autumn. Whether this will include new internal components or an entirely new chassis remains to be seen, but they are almost certainly due to launch with OS X Yosemite in the autumn.

As is usual for Apple, the company refuses to comment on rumour or speculation regarding unannounced products. That means we’ll have to wait until an official announcement to see whether these latest rumours are correct; the latest indication points to a September reveal for the updated 11in and 13in MacBook Airs, so we’re looking at a few months of waiting yet.

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