The 12-inch MacBook Air with Retina screen display's release date will come either later this year or early next year as the laptop is reportedly in production.

A lot of people have been waiting for this year's version of the MacBook Air, but Apple made some slight changes in the MacBook Air line up early this year. However, rumors claimed that the Cupertino-based giant will release a new batch of MacBook Airs, including a 12-inch variant.

Last June, reports claimed that the 12-inch MacBook Air would go into production in the third quarter of the year. This is supported by last month's report from Digitimes which stated that Apple's partner, Quanta Computer based in Taiwan, has begun the production of the components of the new laptop for its release by the end of this year or by next year.

It was initially speculated that the MacBook Air would arrive in the fall, but the release date was pushed back because of Apple's jam-packed schedule. Moreover, the release of Intel Broadwell chips was allegedly delayed.

According to reports, the first batch of the Core "M" chips will be shipped by the end of this year. Apple will be the first company to receive the new processors. Packing Broadwell chips will pave the way for a thinner and lighter MacBook Pro and Air. Intel also said that the new 14nm processors will yield to laptops and tablet computers without cooling fans.

Rumors about the new MacBook Air have been going around for quite some time. The rumors centered on the Retina display to be added to the device. Some of the other features of the upcoming MacBook Air are: a 12-inch monitor with 2K screen resolution, a 1.35kg, 128GB or 256GB SSD, a 1.4GHz Intel Core i5, a 4GB RAM, a 2x USB 3.0, a Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt 2.0, a memory card reader, and a 720p FaceTime camera.

However, Apple has not confirmed nor denied these rumors.