Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Said to Release New Entry-Level 13-inch MacBook This Year, Likely Replacing MacBook Air
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
since its called 13" Macbook, of course it will have retina like the smaller one, probably with 226 pixels per inch
This. I use a 2012 MBA and a 2015 13" rMBP, and if they put the rMBP display on the MBA updated to Intel 8th gen and kept the same IO and design, I would go out and buy one the day it got released. For me it would be the perfect blend of size, power and design.
I would of thought a 14" MacBook would of been better as was rumoured by Ming Chi Kuo last year, 13" does seem close to the already 12" MacBook.
The 12" current Macbook can take a price cut if you introduce an entry storage SKU with 128Gb SSD. For very little engineering work you can get rid of the MacBook Air by starting the MacBook a little lower and perhaps consider a price cut to the non touch bar pro for the people who need Thunderbolt in some form.
There's also no real reason to have just one USB-C port on the MacBook. It should have 2 by now, or at least make the single USB-C port a full Thunderbolt one. Having one port on an expensive machine is silly in this age, increasing it to two will make it more useful for the people looking for a cheap Mac.
I don't rate this story at all, by the way. As @fokmik says - why have a 13" MacBook when there's a 12" one. It makes the range extremely cluttered.
There's also a consideration mentioned elsewhere in these forums that engineering resources could be diverted to the modular Mac Pro right so why would Apple split their time?
Ultimately, at some point in the next 18 months the logical line-up should be as simple as:
12" Macbook (with 2 USB-C ports)
14" Macbook (2/4 Core with Iris Graphics; 2-4 TB3 ports - choose 28w version with touchbar or 15w version without)
16" Macbook (4/6 Core with AMD Vega; 4 TB3 ports)
Note that the new 14 and 16" versions are Apple's secret fix for the keyboard and battery life problems in the 2016/17 model. Introduce a bigger shinier higher resolution retina screen while fixing both of those criticisms. You can't then compare apples with apples (ahem).
There's also no real reason to have just one USB-C port on the MacBook. It should have 2 by now, or at least make the single USB-C port a full Thunderbolt one. Having one port on an expensive machine is silly in this age, increasing it to two will make it more useful for the people looking for a cheap Mac.
I don't rate this story at all, by the way. As @fokmik says - why have a 13" MacBook when there's a 12" one. It makes the range extremely cluttered.
There's also a consideration mentioned elsewhere in these forums that engineering resources could be diverted to the modular Mac Pro right so why would Apple split their time?
Ultimately, at some point in the next 18 months the logical line-up should be as simple as:
12" Macbook (with 2 USB-C ports)
14" Macbook (2/4 Core with Iris Graphics; 2-4 TB3 ports - choose 28w version with touchbar or 15w version without)
16" Macbook (4/6 Core with AMD Vega; 4 TB3 ports)
Note that the new 14 and 16" versions are Apple's secret fix for the keyboard and battery life problems in the 2016/17 model. Introduce a bigger shinier higher resolution retina screen while fixing both of those criticisms. You can't then compare apples with apples (ahem).
The only cheap machine I ever recall Apple making was the original Mac Mini. I got one of those new with a Keyboard and Mouse (non-Apple) thrown in for £399. Those days are long gone...
iPad isn’t relevant to Mac just because of similar screen sizes. They’re completely different products. There’s a 12.9” iPad, but that doesn’t affect the 12” MacBook or 13” MacBook Pro in the slightest.
Definitely not an expert here, but from what I've seen so far, its rather unlikely that one can manufacture a large OLED panel that can compete in energy consumption, accuracy and overall performance with the IPS tech used by Apple.
Maybe people should stop buying them if they want Apple to stop selling them.
I find this post intriguing; why would anyone want Apple to provide "basic" machines?
In what way would a new 13" MB differ from the no-Touchbar 13" MBP? Same specs but cheaper, thinner, and longer battery life?
That last phrase could be applied almost any technology product.
Since they are the only people who know exactly how many of every MacBook SKU have ever been sold, I would guess Apple know exactly how many people love that form factor, and every other one they sell...
I don't think you're going to find it in a thread titled "Apple to Release New Entry-Level 13-inch MacBook This Year, Likely Replacing MacBook Air".
I'm sure any rumours about those two will be published as soon as we hear about it.
I’m onboard if they add more ports, otherwise I’ll grab an older refurbished MBP to replace my aging 2009 model.
What a shame
:’(
They will no longer sell a laptop I can recommend.
They should just update the Air. It is a different laptop to the Retina MacBook and MacBook Pro, with different purposes.
:’(
They will no longer sell a laptop I can recommend.
They should just update the Air. It is a different laptop to the Retina MacBook and MacBook Pro, with different purposes.
What if they pull an “ipad pro 10.5” is the new ipad pro 9.7” and just make the 12” Macbook bigger?
Remember, the original 2008 Air was super pricey, like the current 12” Macbook.
Fall 2018 could be the “fall 2010 redesign and repositioning for the Air” but for the 12” Macbook.
You read it here first.
Remember, the original 2008 Air was super pricey, like the current 12” Macbook.
Fall 2018 could be the “fall 2010 redesign and repositioning for the Air” but for the 12” Macbook.
You read it here first.
But to go from 12" to 13" isn't really that much bigger it would make more sense to go 14" and higher specs.
And going 14" with the MacBook in marketing terms may confuse people who then have to think about various (more powerful) 13" models against a 14" screened MacBook. Unless all the 13" models are going 14" too but that seems unlikely in a year that we potentially get the modular Mac Pro.
[doublepost=1516706520][/doublepost]We should also consider that any 2018 model will be the fourth iteration of the current Macbook. With the Retina MacBook Pros there were some straight-up price cuts by that time as engineering costs had been recouped. Even if Apple don't decide to add a second USB-C port they can still cut the price of the 2018 range (while introducing a 128Gb base model) and retire the MBA.
As mentioned earlier that would get rid of the last non retina screen in the laptop range. This year we can also expect the elimination of the last non-retina 21.5" iMac in October.
Apple can then launch those 4k/5k screens this year and declare that there are no more non-retina displays in the line-up at all. Any Macs launched this year should therefore be able to support a 4k or 5k screen (that's the obligatory Mac Mini line there
)
But what can they do with a 13" MacBook that they can't do with a 12" one? it seems a bit to close at least the 15" MacBook Pro has more powerful processors and graphics compared to the 13" MacBook Pro.
The 13" MacBook Air is huge compared to the 13" MacBook Pro, in width, depth, and thickness.
While simplifying the laptop line would be okay, Hardwick’s article doesn’t at all discuss the real rumor here: “Touch panel maker General Interface Solution...” Anyone know if GIC makes a non-touch panel display? If not, this would be huge news.
Before they became hi res, maybe not.
But I have a 12" MacBook, which as the same real estate as my 2008 15" Powerbook, plus its hi res. Plus its incredibly portable.
Granted, I might not want it as my only computer. But I have a 4K iMac, and the MacBook is perfect for taking to coffee shops to meet clients, or do less demanding work on when I'm out and about.