Apple MacBook Air 2017 specs, features & price: Laptop could be the cheapest ever Mac device; Siri & E-Ink keyboard expected

Fresh reports suggest that the Apple MacBook Air 2017 could be the cheapest Mac laptop ever. The upcoming device is expected to feature Apple’s virtual assistant Siri and also the much-talked-about E-Ink keyboard. It will also reportedly feature some very high-end specs that Air fans have been long waiting for.

The MacBook Air 2017 was expected to be unveiled in October during the Apple event. However, MacBook Air fans were left thoroughly disappointed when Apple revealed only the MacBook Pro 2016 and compared the MacBook Air to it. This led to wild speculations that the Cupertino-based company is closing down the Air line of products.

What led fans to believe earlier that Apple would soon be coming out with a highly-upgraded Apple MacBook Air is the minor upgrade that the MacBook Air received this year. The 13-inch variant received an optional RAM upgrade. The insignificant update led many fans to believe the company would soon be releasing a MacBook Air 2017 with the latest specs & features.

While a MacBook Air release in 2016 does not seem like a possibility, many tech enthusiasts feel that the device may be released in 2017 between March and May. As Apple has been absolutely tight-lipped about the device and has neither denied nor confirmed the many rumours, more rumours are cropping up every now and then.

Certain reports have claimed that the Apple MacBook Air 2017 could be the cheapest Mac device in the market when it releases. The device is expected to be slimmer and thinner than its predecessor.

As per an earlier Tech Radar report, Apple’s virtual personal assistant Siri will surely make its way to the Apple MacBook Air 2017. The assistant Siri was first unveiled for mobile at WWDC. It was running on an early build of macOS Sierra. The OS X 10.11 El Capitan successor will reportedly arrive alongside the new range of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 2016 models.

Other top features expected in the Apple MacBook Air 2017 are Retina Display, E-Ink keyboard, Intel Kaby Lake processor, ARM chips, Touch ID with Force Touch upgrade and a battery that could last up to 12.5 hours with web surfing. USB Type-C ports, SD card slots and Thunderbolt 3 are also anticipated.