Apple doesn't often do price cuts, but today it has given its entire lineup of MacBook Airs a $100 price reduction. The base 11-inch model now starts at $899, while the 13-inch model starts at $999. Stepping up to the $1,099 and $1,199 models (respectively) will get you a 256GB SSD instead of a 128GB one, and upgrading from 4GB to 8GB of RAM still costs $100 across the lineup.

The laptops have also gotten a mild CPU refresh, and they graduate a 1.3GHz (2.6GHz Turbo) Core i5-4250U to a 1.4GHz (2.7GHz Turbo) Core i5-4260U . These CPUs are technically "new" but the architecture that powers them isn't—they're part of Intel's Haswell refresh, a mid-cycle bump that amounts mostly to small clock speed increases and improved overclocking potential on the desktop. Improvements to performance and battery life, especially in the tight quarters of a MacBook Air, will be marginal at best, and the $150 CPU upgrade option remains a 1.7GHz (3.3GHz Turbo) Core i7-4650U.

While this price bump is good news for people on the fence about buying one of Apple's ultraportables, these laptops have been around since June of 2013 and they'll be due for an upgrade soon. Apple has updated the MacBook Air at its Worldwide Developers Conference in both 2012 and 2013, and the company's release calendar is predictable enough that another WWDC launch wouldn't come as a total surprise.

Two factors could conspire to keep Apple from putting out a larger update in June (hence, the timing of this price cut and spec bump). First, the Intel Broadwell CPUs that would be going into true next-gen Airs are said to be running behind schedule, and Intel has yet to make any major announcements about the lineup or its availability. If Apple can't get new CPUs from Intel (or if it can't get them in the quantity it needs), that's going to hold up the company's plans.

Second, murky rumors have suggested that the MacBook Air will be getting an external overhaul this time around, one that might incorporate a high-resolution Retina display. The most commonly cited rumor (though this appears to be sourced from analysts and not from part leaks or other people in a position to know) says that device will be a roughly 12-inch model with a 16:10 ratio screen like the one used in the 13-inch Air and the MacBook Pro lineup, rather than the 16:9 ratio in the 11-inch Air. Guesses as to that display's exact size and resolution vary depending on who you ask.

Color us skeptical about that mystery machine and its exact specifications but the timing for a new design is about right. Apple has been using the same basic chassis for the 11- and 13-inch Airs since October of 2010, and the company tends to spruce up its laptops every three or four years. Even if they don't receive Retina display upgrades, the 1366×768 and 1440×900 panels in the current Airs have been surpassed in quality by comparable PC Ultrabooks. Other OEMs have moved on to IPS displays with better color, contrast, and viewing angles, while the Airs still use lesser twister nematic (TN) panels. Switching to an all-new chassis and display panel takes more time than simply rearranging the chips inside an existing design.

A price cut and spec bump to the 2013 MacBook Airs doesn't preclude a new announcement at WWDC, especially since Apple is willing to announce new Macs months before it's actually ready to sell them (see also the 2012 iMac and the 2013 Mac Pro). In the meantime, if you were waiting for MacBook Airs to get cheaper, today's your lucky day. if you're still waiting for a substantially refreshed model: keep waiting.