Apple is taking drastic measures as it prepares to release a slimmed down 12-inch version of its already very slim Macbook Air. The most severe of these measures could see it ditching the USB and other ports that we’ve all become so accustomed to in recent years.
According to Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac, the 12-inch Macbook Air won’t just slot neatly between the 11 and 13-inch models, but will also dump USB ports, MagSafe connectors, and SD card slots in favour of a thinner body and a higher resolution display.
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Size-wise the new model won’t be all that different from its 11-inch sibling (it’ll be a little bit taller, but also a fair bit thinner) meaning that the bezels will have to be significantly narrower in order to accommodate the larger screen.
Other changes include an edge-to-edge keyboard, reportedly inspired by the 12-inch Powerbook Steve Jobs introduced more than a decade ago, and revamps to the speakers and trackpad. In the case of the trackpad, the version present on the 12-inch Macbook Air will be the same width as on the 11-inch version but slightly taller.
The speakers meanwhile are apparently set to double as ventilation outlets.
The connectivity ports do however remain a relevant concern. According to 9to5Mac’s sources, the new Macbook Air will contain the fewest ports yet. On the right hand side, there’ll be a headphone jack, as well as microphones for noise cancelling and input. And on the left hand side, there’s a solitary USB Type-C port. That’s it. So good luck connecting anything USB-based while you’re charging it.
Read more: Slimmer, more powerful USB Type-C connector swings both ways
USB Type-C offers several advantages, including its adaptability and the fact that it can be flipped around like Lightning on iPads and iPhones.
It is worth noting however that this could change prior to release and Apple may decide to include some legacy components in the 12-inch Air.
Rumours suggest that the 12-inch Macbook Air will launch sometime in mid 2015.
