Is Apple planning to upgrade MacBook Air by year end?

As per DigiTimes, Apple is going to upgrade it’s long neglected MacBook Air by the coming holiday season. An 11.6 inch LED back lit avatar of Air is going to be on sale by the year end. A manufacturer named Quanta has received orders to deliver 400,000 to 500,000 MacBook Airs by the end of the year.

Apple last updated the 13.3 inch MacBook Air way back in June 2009 when it dropped the entry level 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo price to $1,499 from $1,799 and also introduced the 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 128GB solid state drive for $1,799. However, sales numbers suggest that the 13.3 inch footprint with the 3 pound weight is more than what customers prefer especially when compared with Apple’s more compact and lighter 9.7-inch iPad which has seen resounding success.

Given DigiTimes previous track record of false reporting we’re still not sure if this news is accurate but the timing looks right for a MacBook Air refresh. While competitors have already jumped to Intel’s ULV Core processors, cranking out thinner, faster and efficient devices, Apple’s offering looks downright outmoded. Also, Apple has historically refreshed its Macbook lineup around October so the timing does look right.