Edible Apple

The MacBook Air is currently available in 11.6 and 13.3-inch sizes, but Apple may also be working on a new 14-inch model of its popularly thin notebook according to a recent report from Digitimes.

Apple is reportedly considering launching a 14-inch MacBook Air and may start mass production in the near future to fully enter the Asia PC market, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Currently, 14-inch panels are the mainstream specification of the Asia notebook market, while consumers in Western countries prefer 15-inch models. In the global market, 14-inch models have an about 20-25% market share, but in Asia, the market share is about 35-40%, an indication of Asia consumers’ fondness for 14-inch models, the sources noted.

Digitimes has a spotty track record of late, so take this with a grain of salt. If true, however, a 14-inch MacBook Air would signal that Apple is taking an even more aggressive approach towards China, one of its largest untapped markets on account of the country’s booming populace. One wonders how a 14-inch model would fit into Apple’s MacBook Air line. Would it replace the 13-inch model or be sold alongside both the 11 and 13 inch models.

Apple likes to keep its product line simple and streamlined, so it’s hard to imagine Apple offering the Air in three distinct form factors so close together.

Apple last updated the MacBook Air family this past July with next-gen processors and Thunderbolt integration.

via Digitimes