12 inch retina MacBook for 2014?

According to typically-reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, Apple has a slew of new products in the works for 2014. The analyst has summarized his expectations for these new products in a new research note, and has also reaffirmed some of his previous claims for products in Apple’s pipeline for the rest of Fall 2013…

The major 2014 Apple product updates that Kuo highlights revolve around MacBooks, iMacs, and iPads. Earlier this week, another analyst forecasted major updates to Apple products in the display department, and Kuo seems to agree with some of these claims. Notably, Kuo believes Apple will introduce a 12-inch Retina laptop, a sharper full-sized iPad, and a more affordable iMac desktop computer.

Here are the details from Kuo on those purported upcoming devices:

12-inch MacBook with new design + Retina Display:

Smaller MacBook with entirely new design
Launching in either Q2 or Q3 of 2014
12-inch screen, but as portable as current 11-inch MacBook Air and productive as 13-inch MacBook Air
Higher-resolution display (Retina)
Will “redefine laptop computing” once again just like the current MacBook Air design
Thinner/lighter than MacBook Air, new clamshell structure
Will run on Intel chip, not Apple-based A8 processor
Potentially lower-cost than current Apple notebooks

Lower-cost iMac:

Apple could ship a cheaper iMac next-year
Current iMac did not ship as many units as expected
Lower-cost model could help combat Windows desktops
Kuo expects this iMac model to boost iMac sales by 10-20%
Ship in Q2 or Q3 2014

Sixth-generation full-sized iPad:

Would carry same 9.7-inch screen size as current iPad and upcoming iPad 5
Display would be higher-resolution with a PPI (pixels-per-inch) of 30-40% higher than the current Retina iPad
While iPads with larger screens have been rumored, Kuo says that Apple will likely ship this higher-resolution model instead
Third-generation iPad mini would retain the 2048×1536 Retina display of the upcoming iPad mini 2

While many of Kuo’s claims are logical and line-up with previous reports, it is unclear if Apple truly is prepared to undergo yet another resolution change in its tablet lineup. A higher pixel count on the full-sized iPad would force App Store developers to re-create their interfaces and iPad app graphics once-again.

Tim Cook previously promised that 2014 would be a major product year for Apple, and the aforementioned new form-factors seems to line up with teases from the Apple CEO.

In addition to the aforementioned devices, Apple is expected to launch a new iPhone line next year with a larger display. Apple is also working on new TV products and wearable devices, but it is currently unclear if those are also in the cards for 2014.

As for the remainder of 2013, Apple has Haswell MacBook Pros, new Mac minis, multiple new iPads, and several new pieces of software on the docket.

Source: 9to5mac

12 inch retina MacBook for 2014?