Although some rumors have indicated Apple’s expected 12-inch Retina MacBook Air might see a debut during Apple’s March 9 media event, The Wall Street Journal indicates the new ultra-slim won’t ship until the second quarter of the year.
The Wall Street Journal, via MacRumors:
While suppliers are gearing up to ship the new 12-inch MacBook Air in large quantities in the second quarter, Apple’s launch schedule remains unclear, the people said.
A second quarter 2015 shipment date for the new laptop indicates Apple could be planning to debut the machine around June, possibly at its Worldwide Developers Conference. It’s not unusual for Apple to launch products at the WWDC, as they used the occasion to debut the Mac Pro in 2013, and the Retina MacBook Pro in 2012.
While some reports have indicated a similarity between the 12-in MacBook Air and Apple other much-rumored device, the 12.9-inch “iPad Pro,” the WSJ report makes it clear that the two devices are two separate product lines.
The WSJ report indicates the iPad Pro will sport a USB 3.0 port:
“Apple has continued to rework some of the features of the larger iPad. It is now considering the faster technology for data synchronization between the larger iPad and other computing devices,” said the person. [..]
The company has also been considering adding ports to connect to a keyboard and mouse, the people said.
Reports indicate that he 12-inch MacBook Air will have fewer ports, and no MagSafe charger. However, the WSJ report indicates the two devices will continue to be delineated by operating system.
