According to the latest rumors there is currently a production plan for an 11-inch or 13-inch MacBook Air with a new chassis design, possibly featuring a Retina display, to be released later this year.

However, the device which is expected to be powered by Intel's new Broadwell chips has had its release date delayed since the availability of the next-generation chips is not until February 2015. Otherwise, it's possible a new Macbook Air Retina will use Haswell chips.

The 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air was upgraded on April 29 with a slight specs boost, including Haswell chips that provided a mild performance update.

Furthermore, the Haswell processor provided longer battery life during iTunes movie playback, improving from 8 to 9 hours for the smaller model and from 10 to 12 hours for the 13-inch model.

Another device rumored to be in the works is a 12-inch MacBook with Retina display, set to launch this fall as mass production was rumored to commence in Q3 2014.

The device first appeared in rumors in October 2013 when KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo described it as possessing the portability of an 11-inch MacBook Air and the productivity of the 13-inch high resolution Retina display model. The device is said to succeed MacBook Air.

The 12-inch MacBook will be redesigned to have an ultrathin chassis, track pad without the mechanical button and fan assembly for a quieter operation.

Either it is the new MacBook Air or its supposed successor 12-inch Retina MacBook, both are affected by the delay of Intel chips. A chip designed for Apple's devices are set to ship early 2015 and the chips for Retina MacBook Pro and iMac on mid-2015.

Meanwhile, United Daily News (Chinese) hints the new 11 and 13-inch MacBook Airs will enter production in August with new chips, screen, chassis as well as other components.