Ahead of CES, Samsung has pre-announced the Ativ Book 9, via The Verge. Interestingly, this laptop features many of the technical specifications that have been rumored for the future 12-inch Retina MacBook Air. The announcement of the Ativ Book 9 validates that a fanless high-resolution ultrabook is indeed possible in the short term.
The Book 9 laptop features a 12.2 inch screen with a 2600×1600 resolution, implying a 250 PPI. At normal viewing distances, Apple could easily describe the display as ‘Retina’. For comparison, the ‘Retina’ 15 inch MacBook Pro has 216 pixels-per-inch. The Book 9 is powered by a next-generation Broadwell CPU, which has drastically lower power consumption and heat dissipation enabling the product to be fanless.
The Book 9 is slated for release in early 2015, which just happens to be the same timeframe that the 12-inch MacBook Air is rumored to be announced.
In case you’ve forgotten, the latest reports on the next-generation Retina Air say that it will be available in gold and space gray, like the iPhone. It will also reportedly feature a keyboard that goes edge-to-edge across the laptop and a reversible USB Type C connector. This is something that is not seen in the Samsung product but has been done in the past.
We would expect the rumor mill to ramp up soon with more leaks about Apple’s new laptop if it is indeed being released in early 2015, as expected.
