The rumor mill is all fired up with speculations that the MacBook Air with Retina display is nearing its release date. New reports are now circulating that the device will be announced in the first quarter of this year. 

According to Taiwanese media DigiTimes, the volume production of the new 12-inch MacBook Air is currently underway for its first quarter release. The 12-inch laptop is reportedly being manufactured by Taiwan-based manufacturer Quanta Computer. 

Aside from the MacBook Air Retina, the manufacturer reportedly scored the deal for Apple Watch. The report added that Quanta Computer hired more workers for the supply line in order to keep up with the demands and orders. The company ultimately has plans to add more people or an additional of 30,000 workers in the first quarter of this year. However, DigiTimes stated that it may be difficult for the company to get all those people since the Lunar New Year Holiday is looming.

Meanwhile, there are other speculations that the laptop would hit the market in April, given that the current MacBook Air with Intel Haswell processors was rolled out in April last year. 

The tech world is looking forward to seeing the new laptop, especially since one of its heavily rumored features is its 12-inch screen with Retina display, which is in between the current 11-inch and 13-inch models. There might also be changes on the keyboard and trackpad of the device, as the keyboard is purported to sport an edge-to-edge design while the trackpad would not have a physical right and left clicker. 

Under the hood, the MacBook Air Retina is said to house the latest Broadwell processors from Intel and USB 3.0 Type-C port, replacing other ports packed in the current models. These features will yield to a fanless design and thinner profile. Lastly, the laptop will have longer battery life. 

The Cupertino-based company is careful not to leak any detail about its devices and plans this year.