Apple is expected to release an affordable 13-inch MacBook Air in Q2 2018 says KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo

The venerable MacBook AIr will celebrate its 10th birthday this year[/caption]According to new investor notes from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning to release a more affordable version of the 13-inch MacBook Air. According to Kuo, this affordable variant of the MacBook Air should boost the MacBook shipments by 10-15 percent.Apple is currently selling its MacBook Air from $999 onwards and despite the neglect it has got from Apple in the last year, it is still a popular product category. Especially among the college going students according to 9to5Mac.Along with this, Kuo also gave new details on the supply chain of the upcoming iPhones. According to Kuo, the entry level 6.1-inch upcoming iPhone will make a strong year for suppliers such as Unimicron, Wistron as well as Pegatron.Kuo reiterated that Apple will be coming out with a refreshed model of the AirPods and there are positive signs on the shipments of the current gen AirPods.Speaking about HomePod, Kuo said that the demand for it was 'mediocre' so far. He hasn't offered any additional view on the HomePod shipment related chatter, opting to have a 'neutral' view of the smart speaker segment.