MacBook Air 2017 release date, revamp, latest news & update: MacBook Air either phased out or getting a radical revamp

With the release of the much-hyped new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, the future of the MacBook Air just got even more uncertain.

Over the past year, there have been talks that Apple could be considering retiring its entire MacBook Air lineup, which has sadly only received minor upgrades in the last few years. Alternatively, there have also been suggestions that the tech giant could be phasing out the 11-inch MacBook Air, currently the least expensive of all its Macs, in favor of a new 15-inch MacBook Air variant.

While the MacBook Air has largely been ignored by Apple, it received a small upgrade in 2016 with the addition of an optional RAM upgrade for the 13-inch variant. As such, MacBook Air users have been wondering if the lack of substantial upgrades is an indication that the line is on its way out or if Apple is saving the MacBook Air upgrades for next year and getting ready to unveil a revamped MacBook Air 2017.

When the MacBook was launched in 2015, one of the reactions was that it may be intended as a replacement for the MacBook Air. "This wasn't the MacBook Air, but instead leaped past the Air," Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research, said at the time. "They kept the MacBook Air around just as they do with older iPhones, but the MacBook is now in the same position as the newest iPhone. That makes me wonder if the Air will go away over time," he added.

Dawson may be right. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is known for accurately predicting many of Apple's moves, recently claimed that the company will soon launch a 13-inch MacBook to beef up the MacBook line. The lineup will then replace the MacBook Air line going forward.

Despite these predictions, there are also those suggesting that Apple will bestow a radical upgrade to the MacBook Air 2017. Tech Radar said that a new Apple patent may indicate a touchscreen keyboard replacing the traditional physical keyboard in the next MacBook Air. In addition, there are rumors that the MacBook Air 2017 could receive a faster processor, a RAM upgrade, and even a higher resolution display.

Apple has not officially announced a MacBook Air 2017.