Will Apple kill off the MacBook Air in favour of new 13-inch laptop?

Now that Apple's MacBook Air is ten years old, the iPhone maker may be preparing to kill off the 13-inch model entirely. Photo / AP

It's long been rumored that Apple may be planning to kill off the MacBook Air, but it looks like the laptop's death may be more imminent than we thought.

Apple could soon release a brand new, 13-inch laptop to replace the aging MacBook Air, according to Digitimes.

Taiwanese touch screen supplier General Interface Solution is expected to receive a big order from Apple for LCD displays, according to the Daily Mail.

Apple may use the displays to introduce a totally new 13-inch MacBook toward the end of 2018, Digitimes noted.

It's been ten years since Apple first released the MacBook Air and many believe a redesign is long overdue.

The ultraportable laptop made a lot of waves when it was first introduced, thanks to its sleek, sexy design. And at just under US$1,000 ($1,359), the MacBook Air is also Apple's most affordable laptop.

But even though the MacBook Air may look great, it has a 5th generation Intel processor that lags behind those found in other laptops on the market, Gizmodo noted.

Apple's prior moves may also indicate why the MacBook Air might be on its last legs.

The iPhone maker discreetly discontinued the 11-inch version of the MacBook Air in 2016, as it announced two new, 13-inch MacBook Pro models.

Apple has chosen to revamp other models instead, updating the processors in its 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro models at its Worldwide Developers Conference in 2017.

The MacBook Air was first introduced in 2008 by late Apple founder Steve Jobs.

At the time, it was dubbed the "world's thinnest laptop," with Jobs boasting that it was so slim that it could fit into a manila envelope.

The US$1,799 device was also Apple's first laptop to ditch the CD/DVD drive, in addition to getting rid of useful ports like an HDMI input.

Much about Apple has changed since then.

The Silicon Valley giant has expanded into totally new product areas, including the Apple Watch wearable and, most recently, the HomePod smart home speaker.

Apple on Tuesday announced that the US$349 HomePod would go on sale February 9th, which is a month later than the company had initially planned for.

The device is expected to pit Apple head to head with rival smart speaker offerings from Amazon and Google, as well as other players in the lucrative voice-activated device space.