Everybody says new 15-inch MacBook Air is coming, MBP might be going away

Everybody says new 15-inch MacBook Air is coming, details scant:

Rumors of a 15-inch MacBook Air have been popping up for a while now. Back in November we told you that Apple actually had a 15-inch variant of the MacBook Air scheduled for release in late 2010 alongside 13 and 11-inch models. Apple ultimately put the launch of the 15-inch model on hold due to the larger MacBook requiring a redesigned hinge. Two new reports now claim that Apple is indeed working on a new 15-inch MacBook Air that could be launched as early as next month.

The first report comes from Electricpig who claimed a “key player in MacBook docking solutions” has informed them the device, like the current Airs, will have ports on either side, but no Ethernet connection or optical drive. Their source also points to an April launch, noting that the new MacBook could effectively kill off the 15-inch MacBook Pro offering. This would of course lineup with reports that Apple has plans to revamp its MacBook Pros with an Air-like design. We heard in February that Apple was planning on phasing out the current MacBook Pro designs throughout 2012.
Backing up the rumors is a report from HowToArena today that said their own sources in the “Far East Asian supply chain” have confirmed a new “thinner 15 inch MacBook Pro” for release by the end of April. According to the source, the new notebooks will be “thicker than currently available MacBook Airs but thinner than MacBook Pros.” Not surprisingly, sources claim the new device will pack in Ivy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 processors, which were recently delayed till as late as June.
This of course isn’t the first time we’ve heard sources claiming a 15-inch MacBook Air-like notebook is the works. Digitimes has reported twice since October, here and here, that parts for a 15-inch ultra-thin laptop have been floating around suppliers. It’s clear Apple is at least still testing a new 15-inch design of some sort, and some have mentioned a new 17-inch model as a possibility as well. However at this point most seem to agree Apple could keep a 17-inch MacBook Pro model around for professionals, while merging the Air and Pro models into one 15-inch offering for everyone else.