NEW YORK, March 6 — According to sources at the Wall Street Journal, Apple will likely launch a 12-inch MacBook Air with a Retina display during Q2 of this year. The rumoured model could well be the surprise guest at the keynote scheduled for Monday, March 9, where the Cupertino firm is expected to launch the Apple Watch.

According to the American newspaper, the new notebook has already entered production and will begin shipping this spring.

Eagerly awaited by Apple fans, the new MacBook is expected to have a 12-inch screen with a particularly high pixel density, a feature Apple has branded on other models as its Retina display. The 13-inch MacBook Pro, for example, has a Retina display with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels. The newest MacBook is also thought to have very limited connectivity, featuring only a type-C (reversible) USB port and an audio jack.

In January, the website 9to5Mac published its own rendering of what the new notebook might look like, based on indications from an inside source at Apple.

The new 12-inch MacBook Air will reportedly be relatively compact — measuring slightly taller but around 6mm narrower than the current 11-inch MacBook Air, as the bezels have been reduced on all sides of the display. Another distinctive feature is an edge-to-edge keyboard, which calls to mind the one seen on the 12-inch PowerBook. Finally, the new model is said to be the thinnest MacBook Air ever, with a thickness of less than 0.67 inches (that of the current thinnest MacBook Air models).

The release of this 12-incher would shake things up in the range, which has thus far consisted of 11-inch and 13-inch models. The newcomer will either join the existing line-up as the mid-sized option or will replace the 11-inch model, positioning the Retina as the new norm for enhanced visual comfort. — AFP-Relaxnews