Apple reportedly starts production of 12-inch MacBook Air next year

According to Digitimes, a Taiwanese technology media outlet, Apple is preparing to start producing a new 12-inch MacBook Air in the first quarter of next year.

The report states that the new 12-inch MacBook Air may be thinner than the two MacBook Airs currently sold by Apple (both are 0.68 inches thick) and will have "a new chassis design to reduce overall thickness and weight."

Digitimes did not provide any further details about the MacBook Air in its report, saying only that it will be equipped with Intel Broadwell processors. If Apple does release a 12-inch MacBook Air, it would be the first time the company has offered this display size option. Currently, users can choose between an 11-inch or 13-inch MacBook Air.

It should be noted that Digitimes' reports are not always reliable when it comes to new products that Apple will launch. Digitimes cited sources from Apple's "upstream supply chain" to make this report, but in the past, the media's sources have been proven wrong many times. For example, Digitimes reported in June that Apple would release a 12-inch MacBook Air in the third quarter of 2014, but the company has not yet announced the launch of such a product.

Rumors about Apple's 12-inch MacBook Air have been circulating in the market for some time, but Apple itself has not commented. It was previously reported that the 12-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with a Retina display like Apple's new MacBook Pro.