Apple rumor claims all-new, 12-inch MacBook Air

A future MacBook Air may depart from the 11- and 13-inch designs to date.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple is planning a radical redesign of the MacBook "soon," if a forum post out of China is to be believed.

A key aspect of the redesign would be the elimination of the fan assembly, according toMacRumors, which describes the post as coming from a reliable leaker of future Apple hardware.

A fanless design almost always implies ultrathin and -light. For example, the iPad Air is a fanless design as are Android and most Windows tablets. Even some of the newest, thinnest Windows 2-in-1s are fanless, such as the Intel Haswell processor-based HP Spectre 13 tablet that can double as a laptop.

The post also mentions that the new MacBook would have a trackpad sans mechanical button. Microsoft's Type Cover ultrathin keyboard that goes with Surface Pro 2 and Surface 2 has that kind of trackpad.

Note that it's not clear what kind of branding Apple would use. That is, whether it would be an Air or another brand but the rumors hint at an Air-like design.

This latest rumor follows an NPD DisplaySearch report last October that forecast a 12-inch MacBook with a Retina-class display. That report said simply that it was due in 2014.

To date, the MacBook Air has come in two sizes: 11.6- and 13.3-inch, both with relatively low-resolution displays.

Whatever Apple ultimately decides, it seems certain that the ultraportable laptop will eventually get a physical makeover. The MacBook Air hasn't seen a physical redesign or display change since late 2010, when Apple introduced a new chassis and debuted the 11.6-inch Air.