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Apple 12-inch MacBook Air production increases for Q1 launch

Apple’s plans to launch a 12-inch MacBook Air with Retina display this quarter are full steam ahead, with production efforts reportedly in full swing.

Taiwanese manufacturer Quanta Computer has just ramped up its production ahead of the fast-approaching launch date, if a new report by Digitimes is to be believed.

Apparently, Apple hopes to replace its existing 11-inch MacBook Air model with the newer 12-inch version.

This fresh-faced notebook would sit alongside the also existing 13-inch MacBook Air as Apple’s only ultrabook SKUs.

With production of the new MacBook Air full steam ahead, Quanta has been forced to hire 30,000 additional workers to meet the demand.

It’s also worth mentioning that Quanta won the rights to build the Apple Watch, which is assuredly taking its toll on the factory floor with the March launch date looming.

Related: Apple Watch release date, price, features, and battery life

So what’s the 12-inch MacBook Air going to proffer? We’re expecting a brand new Broadwell Core M processor at its heart, with a typically thin chassis that eschews an integrated fan module.

It’s also rumoured that Apple will rubbish most of the existing ports on the device in an effort to simplify the design.

Other leaks have shown the new MacBook Air to be much more compact than previous Air models, as well as touting a Retina display.

Of course, Apple has kept mum on the new MacBook Air up until this point, and that likely won’t change right up until the expected Q1 unveiling.

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