12-inch Retina MacBook, Cheaper iMac; Higher-Resolution iPad Coming from Apple in 2014 – Rumor

9To5Mac’s Mark Gurman cites a research note by analyst KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a reliable track record predicting Apple product releases, predicting that far from phasing out the Mac, Apple has a new 12-inch MacBook with an entirely new design and a Retina Display coming in Q2 or Q3 2014 that “will redefine laptop computing once again just like the current MacBook Air.” This new MacBook would essentially be as portable as current 11-inch MacBook Air but as capable at productivity as the current 13-inch MacBook Air with a screen size that evokes fond memories of one of Apple’s best-loved laptops, the 12-inch PowerBook G4.

Gurman reports that according to Mr. Kuo, the new (mini?) MacBook will have a completely new clamshell enclosure form factor that will be even thinner and lighter than the current MacBook Air, will be powered by Intel silicon and not Apple’s A8 CPU, and potentially sell at a lower price point than Apple’s current MacBooks.

Also in the Apple product pipeline according to Mr. Kuo is a lower-cost iMac aimed at taking some market share from low-priced Windows desktops, also to ship in Q2 or Q3 2014, and which the analyst anticipates could boost iMac sales by 10-20 percent.

On the iPad front, Mr. Kuo projects that a sixth-generation full-sized iPad will retain same 9.7-inch screen size as current iPad and forthcoming iPad 5, but have an even higher-resolution panel with PPI count 30-40% greater than the current Retina iPad and a third-generation iPad mini packing the same 2048×1536 Retina display that will debut in the upcoming iPad mini 2,

Gurman notes that Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised that 2014 will be a major product year for Apple, which he says is also likely to launch an iPhone line (6?) next year with a larger display, new TV products, and wearable devices.

Appleinsider’s Neil Hughes likewise reported on Saturday that Apple has an all-new-design 12-inch MacBook with a Retina display in its product development pipeline, along with a new 9.7-inch sixth-generation iPad with a higher panel resolution than the current iPad’s Retina display and an “ultra-slim clamshell form factor,”also citing Ming-Chi Kuo’s research note.