Apple could plan a MacBook Air makeover, data shows

A research note from Display Search hints at a revamped MacBook Air with a 12-inch pixel-packing display.

A future MacBook Air may depart from the 11- and 13-inch designs to date.

(Credit: Apple)

A redesign of the MacBook Air may arrive in 2014, if a research note from DisplaySearch proves to be accurate.

As CNET reported Tuesday, analyst firm NPD DisplaySearch anticipates that Apple may plan a larger 4.7-inch iPhone, a 5.7-inch phablet, a 1.3-inch iWatch, and a 12.9-inch iPad-like device, among other products.

Buried among the speculation about future iPads and iWatches was also data about a RetinaMacBook Air due in 2014.

Instead of the 11.6- and 13.3-inch MacBook Airs to date, this would have a 12-inch screen with a much higher resolution.The speculative data about the future Air was tagged with the parenthetical "new," implying a new design. That redesign appears to be pegged to its size.

The 2,304x1,440 display would jump to 226 pixels per inch (PPI) from an unimpressive 127 and 135 PPI for the current 13.3-inch (1,440x900) and 11.6-inch (1,366x768) MacBook Airs, respectively.

And that 226 number would almost exactly match the gorgeous 227-PPI Retina display on the current 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro.

Whatever Apple ultimately decides, it seems certain that the ultraportable laptop will get a physical makeover. The MacBook Air hasn't seen a physical redesign or display change since late 2010, when Apple introduced a new chassis and debuted the 11.6-inch Air.