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Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Sowelu said:
We need a successor to the 12" MacBook with built in cellular, super thin bezels, an edge to edge keyboard and insane battery life. Even if it is a higher-priced SKU. Maybe a 'MacBook mini' at a super low price, and 'MacBook mini Pro or Plus' with OLED, 5G and double the default RAM.
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Many people will love the device you describe and will buy it as a third device to complement their Mac and iPad. Like me, my Mac Studio will be happy to be complemented by such a mobile laptop, which could accompany me everywhere and be fully ready for my purposes. My iPad Pro 11 (M2) can of course also accompany me everywhere, but unfortunately it can't do many things that I need it to do.

In addition to the education sector, it will also sell like hot cakes in the business world as a mobile laptop with a screen and a decent keyboard for on the go, perhaps also with 5G, although that may no longer be absolutely necessary with iOS/macOS 26, as automatic connection via the iPhone's hotspot now works better.

But hey, Apple will be happy to take our money for a cellular model.
 
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Interesting use of the word 'accustom'. This means we have become 'used to', but I would say I've not got used to the notch at all, it's a hideous design compromise from a company that became famous for not compromising.

In fact if the design department at Apple had a motto I'm sure it would now have the word compromise in it, they've totally lost their way since Ive's left. From the notch to the utterly unimaginative box that is the 'Mac Studio', Apple doesn't seem to think looks are important anymore.
 
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aonez said:
I still dream with a 11” or 12”. With the current bezels those can be very, very portable. Just dreaming out loud.
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my wife will probably upgrade her MBA, and iPad - as to what she ultimately buys only she knows she does her own CBA (cost benefit analysis), my schedule calls for a spring/summer 2027 upgrade I will check availability then.
 
The unfortunate thing is any new M5 devices will only work with Liquid Ass Tahoe, new devices never get support for older OS's like Sequoia.

For this reason I'm strongly considering a 15" M4 MacBook Air before they stop being sold new. Sounds a bit silly since the M5 Airs will be faster, but Liquid Ass is so horrible it makes any device that runs it significantly worse.

In the past Mac hardware went through a period of unhappy wilderness with terrible keyboard issues, horrible super hot Intel CPU's that never got any better. But now the hardware is awesome, keeps getting better every year, and it's Apple software's turn to make everything worse and waste the potential of the awesome hardware.

I'm staying on Sequoia and OS 18 on all my devices indefinitely, we'll see what OS 27 brings now that ANAL DYE has left Apple to enrich the un-user interfaces of his new Meta masters.
 
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Dirk Pieters said:
There is also the fact that iPadOS is now windowed, its apps have a menu bar and it supports mouse and keyboard.

I also think we haven’t heard/seen the last of different Apple operating systems merging somehow, even though Federighi said it wouldn’t happen.
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Steve Jobs famously hated on cell phones up until the day he announced the iPhone.
 
The new MacBook is said to have a 13-inch display, similar to but slightly smaller than the MacBook Air, and will feature an ultra-thin, lightweight design​

I thought previous reports indicated it was basically going to re-use the M1 MBA chassis. If in fact Apple releases this thing in an ultra-thin form factor with various colorways, it’s gonna absolutely fly off the shelves. I know so many people who want an ultralight Mac laptop they can just toss in a backpack as a secondary computer, let alone its primary target demo of students.
 
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ZeromusZeromus said:
Apple’s marketing is really going to have to twist itself into knots to explain to regular consumers why a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip isn’t as good as a MacBook Pro with an M5 chip. Both have the word Pro but in different spots, but surely A is better than M and 18 is higher than 5? 😉
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The current Macbooks with 8Gb and M3 back in the days cannot even handle Word. So I wonder how this is going to be used.
 
All signs are pointing to Apple getting this right… with the world’s fastest CPU, enhanced GPU, OLED display in a slimmer chassis the M6 MacPro could potentially be the best designed laptop of all time, and a complete desktop replacement.
 
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Circa1984 said:
All signs are pointing to Apple getting this right… with the world’s fastest CPU, enhanced GPU, OLED display in a slimmer chassis the M6 MacPro could potentially be the best designed laptop of all time, and a complete desktop replacement.
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If they dont manufacture them with scratches and dents like the current Macbook screens.
 
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MacRumors said:


2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop.

MacBook Pro With Touchscreen OLED Display

M6-MacBook-Pro-Feature-1.jpg

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple is readying OLED technology for these models. Compared to current MacBook Pro models that use mini-LED screens, the benefits of OLED technology would include increased brightness

Article Link: Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026
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Whenever I read malarkey, hogwash, balderdash like this, I start to wonder if MacRumors is more an advertising agency than a rumors website? The downside of OLED technology is its dimness, not its 'brightness'!
 
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I currently have a MacBook Pro 14" M1 Max 24C GPU 64 GB. Main reason I went for the Max back then was external display support (base M1 limited to 1, M1 Pro limited to 2, Max supports 4). Nowadays 2 external displays is fine for me and even the base M5 supports that. I don't need the GPU power and in terms of CPU power the base M5 outperforms the M1 Max quite significantly.

The main thing I'd want for my next MacBook would be increased portability, mainly in terms of weight but also dimensions. My main issue with the other MacBook series (well, currently just the Air) is the display. I don't think Apple will do anything about it this year though, and probably not even next year. At least 120 Hz and some form of local dimming (be that mini LED or OLED, I don't care) should be the absolute standard.

So I don't really see an upgrade path for me anytime soon.
 
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edrozenberg said:
The unfortunate thing is any new M5 devices will only work with Liquid Ass Tahoe, new devices never get support for older OS's like Sequoia.

For this reason I'm strongly considering a 15" M4 MacBook Air before they stop being sold new. Sounds a bit silly since the M5 Airs will be faster, but Liquid Ass is so horrible it makes any device that runs it significantly worse.

In the past Mac hardware went through a period of unhappy wilderness with terrible keyboard issues, horrible super hot Intel CPU's that never got any better. But now the hardware is awesome, keeps getting better every year, and it's Apple software's turn to make everything worse and waste the potential of the awesome hardware.

I'm staying on Sequoia and OS 18 on all my devices indefinitely, we'll see what OS 27 brings now that ANAL DYE has left Apple to enrich the un-user interfaces of his new Meta masters.
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Dumb question(long day for me) and just making sure I’m interpreting your message correctly. If I order M4 MBA, I can back it up with my sequoia saves? If so, I may do that. Not a huge fan of Liquid Glass on iPhone/ipad.
 
Mackan said:
For the cheap MacBook: 8GB RAM, 64GB SSD, 60Hz, giant bezels. You are going to love it.
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I’ll love it if it’s $599. And I don’t think the specs will be quite as modest as you list.

I’d like a modestly-priced MacOS laptop for business travel, and the only other metric I care about is battery life.
 
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