Back in April 2014 Apple updated the 11- and 13in MacBook Air with a slight performance bump, a price drop and little else. That's all set to change in a few months when - if the rumours prove true - Apple will launch a redesigned MacBook Air with a 12in screen, a new Intel processor and an even thinner chassis. See all laptop reviews

Here we've gathered together leaked images and more to bring you the MacBook Air 2015 release date rumours, and speculation about its possible specs, features and UK price.

If you're undecided on what to buy, see this MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air comparison review

MacBook Air 2015 release date

Given that it could be an all-new MacBook Air, Apple is unlikely to do a low-key launch, and it could use its annual developer conference - WWDC - to announce the new laptop alongside a possible new MacBook Pro.

That will happen in early June 2015 and, if past experience is anything to go by, the new MacBook Air could be available to buy the same day. But, if there are any delays in manufacturing a component such as the widely tipped Retina display or Intel's latest-generation Core i5 processor, it could be that you'll have to wait until the end of June or even July.

MacBook Air 2015 UK price

It's hard to predict the exact price, especially if the 12in model is added to the line-up rather than replacing the 11- or 13in MacBook Air. Currently, the cheapest 11in model costs £749 with 128GB of flash storage. The 13in model starts at £849, so we'd expect the cheapest new MacBook Air to cost somewhere between these prices.

Typically, Apple keeps the entry-level pricing the same (or reduces it) but given a new Retina screen, which is undoubtedly more expensive to produce, it's unlikely we'll see any price drops unless there are specification cuts in other areas.

MacBook Air 2015 rumours: Specifications and features

One of the reasons analysts, bloggers and others with inside sources at Apple say we don't already have the new MacBook Air is that Intel's new 'Broadwell' processors have been delayed. Clearly Apple didn't want to use the new Intel Core M chips, and could be waiting for the fifth-generation Core i5 processors.

The new CPUs include better graphics processors, which should help if the higher-resolution Retina display does come to fruition, as well as extending battery life and offering better performance.

One spanner in the works here is that Intel has already announced Broadwell's successor: Skylake. It's possible Apple will wait until it can put Skylake-based processors in the new MacBook Air. (See also: Skylake vs Broadwell: Intel's new chips explained)

It's a fairly safe bet that the entry-level Air will have 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

If the rendered images of the new laptop from 9to5Mac are correct, the 2015 MacBook Air's chassis is too thin for standard USB ports. So, it could be one of the first to feature the new, reversible USB Type C connector. As well as being smaller, the new USB port (which is roughly the size of microUSB) is also twice as fast as USB 3.0 with theoretical transfer speeds of 10Gbps.

As for the Retina display, there are a few different resolutions touted, depending on to whom you speak. Some say it will be 2732x1536 as that would match the 264ppi of the iPad Air. Others suggest it will be 2304x1440, which equates to roughly the same 227ppi found on the Retina MacBook Pro. It's also an aspect ratio of 16:10 which is already used for the 13in MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

The current 11.6in MacBook Air has a 1366x768-pixel display, which is an aspect ratio of 16:9, and the same resolution used by most Windows laptops.