MacBook Air 2016 release date, specs rumors: 2010 MacBook Air phased out; touchscreen keyboards in new MacBook Air?

On Oct. 31, Apple will reportedly phase out the late 2010 13-inch MacBook Air, in addition to all iPhone 4 models, the mid-2009 AirPort Time Capsule, and the third-generation AirPort Extreme.

This news comes from the Japanese website Mac Otakara, which indicates that this product list pertains to Apple's vintage and obsolete devices in Japan. It should also reportedly extend to the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and the greater Asia-Pacific. The products in the list were released between 2009 and 2010.

According to Apple, vintage products are those that were discontinued for more than five years but less than seven years ago. Obsolete products are defined as those that have not been manufactured in over seven years. Products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list are no longer accepted for hardware service, save for a few exceptions.

The newly released macOS Sierra is still compatible with the late 2010 MacBook Air. Meanwhile, the iPhone 4 can only be updated up to iOS 7.1.2.

In other MacBook Air news, Tech Radar notes that a new patent filed by Apple could mean that the rumored MacBook Air 2016 could get a touchscreen keyboard instead of a conventional physical keyboard. The tech blog notes that if this patent is any indication, Apple may soon unveil an entire lineup of Apple laptops with touchscreen keyboards.

In addition, there have also been rumblings about Apple supposedly retiring its 11-inch MacBook Air in favor of a new 15-inch variant.

But tech industry watchers say that more plausible changes should include the incorporation of USB Type-C with integrated Thunderbolt 3 and the addition of the latest generation of Intel processors. Perhaps Apple will even throw in better graphics, more efficient batteries, and a RAM upgrade into the mix.

As for the possible release date for the MacBook Air 2016, tech bloggers originally predicted a fall 2016 unveiling. However, with Apple's Sept. 7 event having come and gone without a MacBook Air announcement, the possibility of Air fans getting a fresh new model of their favorite laptop this year has gotten slim.

Tech Radar now suggests that if the MacBook Air 2016 isn't announced with the rumored new MacBook Pro this year, the laptop could be lumped in with the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro, both of which haven't received an upgrade in years.

Apple has not officially announced a MacBook Air 2016.