MacBook Pro 13-inch variant without the OLED Touch Bar is the one that will eventually lead to the demise of MacBook Air, Apple's entry level laptops. Recent reports revealed that Apple wants to sell at least 15 million units this year.

According to DigiTimes, the renowned Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo revealed in his detailed notes about MacBook Pro 2017 that it will be upgraded Kaby Lake processor this year. This new model is reportedly going to release this year, addressing all the concerns that MacBook Pro 2016 had.

The KGI report also indicated that the latest batch of MacBook Pros will undergo production phase by July this year and the assembly of 15-inch, 32GB MacBook Pros will start in the fourth quarter of this year. While the former is expected to release sometime in September, the latter will not come out before November or December.

At the same time, MacBook Air will not be upgraded this year, as has been speculated, finally concluding the line, leading up to its discontinuation. Apple has already discontinued their 11-inch line and the 13-inch laptop is expected to be next, MacWorld reported.

In retrospect, killing the MacBook Air lineup does not seem to be an offhanded decision. The Cupertino-based giant has been gradually moving towards its eventual discontinuation. The first step was when Apple introduced the 12-inch MacBook. Then the next Pro models were further shaved off to become slimmer.

According to the industry experts, it looked like Apple was intent towards promoting their MacBook Pro line. The last indication about the fate of Air came in the form of hefty discount that the company attached to its latest 13-inch MacBook Pros, clearly snuffing the Air models out in favor of their Pro range.

Meanwhile, there is also speculation that MacBook Air will get a basic refresh this year and will be released during Spring event. For now, this update is best taken with a grain of salt, until confirmed otherwise.

Related