The “upstream supply chain†sources of the website report that a ‘pilot’ production of the 12-inch Air is scheduled to start at the end of 2014. The new Air will only target the high-end market and sport a fanless design to achieve its ultra-thin design. The laptop will be manufactured primarily by Quanta Computer and will only be available in limited quantities initially due to production issues.
The new Air is expected to make use of the recently unveiled Broadwell processors from Intel that are sold under the ‘Core M’ moniker. These new processors sip very little power and allow for fanless laptop designs.
Although start of mass production has been delayed due to low yield rates, sources are claiming that the yield issue has been gradually resolved, meaning mass production is expected to “come in the first quarter of 2015.â€
Apple’s contract fabricator Quanta Computer is reportedly going to assemble the machine which is thought to mainly cater to the high-end market segment and will therefore “only have limited shipments†art launch.
As for the Apple Watch, DigiTimes said component makers are now shipping parts to Apple as mass production of the wearable device is believed to start in three months, conceivably in time for the Spring 2015 launch Apple’s retail boss Angela Ahrendts mentioned in a memo to employees.
