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Apple to Announce New MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Possibly MacBook Air at WWDC

This update becomes less suspect if Apple were to announce a slight price reduction and (silently) add more battery capacity (=larger battery) for longer battery life (which they will likely attribute to Kaby Lake).

I would not put any hope in 32GB of RAM until the new MBP is announced in the Fall.

Edit: the tbMBP could also be used to showcase new software functions for the touch bar.

LordVic said:
I find this rumour to be highly suspect:

WWDC is not typically a hardware release keynote. The Macbook Pro also just got released in Nov, and they just did an iPad product lineup reshuffle. I'm honestly not sure how this rumour believes that we'll see these items updated.
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MallardDuck said:
It would take courage to do a CPU speed bump only upgrade, so I'm wary as courage seems to be all that apple has anymore.

They need a reasonably priced 32gb option with a decent gpu. Base models also need to have at least as good battery life as the 2013/2015 models. If they miss those, they might as well pack up their market share and go home. A price cut across the board and non touch bar models (for those that dont need an expensive gimmick) at all performance levels would be nice.

I still think they should release the 2015 form factor with Kaby lake, 32gb, MagSafe, a big honkin battery and a top end mobile gpu. Call it the MacBook power user edition .
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Mathias Denichi said:
The Macbook Air is dead. Its not coming back, there is no reason with the 12" Macbook and the 13" Macbook Pro both being smaller than it.
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Price.

It's the only "Affordable" Mac laptop right now, especially in foreign markets..

In Canadian $
Cheapest MBA: $1,199
Cheapest macBook: $1,649
Chpeast MacBook Pro 13: $1,899

For those who are looking for a simple, decent laptop from Apple, the MacBook air is still the only real affordable option.
 
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Let's face it, they're not going completely redesign the MacBook Pro once again. I think we can say goodbye to MagSafe, USB-A, the F keys, and the glowing Apple logo. They will probably upgrade the CPUs and the RAM (32GB option), and very little else. If we're really lucky, they might bring back the SD card slot (but unlikely), or make all USB-C connections the same speed. The Air is really outdated now, so they could drop it or redesign it. But if they redesigned it, it would be the same as the MacBook. It's more likely that they reduce the starting price of the MacBook. I think the Mac Mini needs the most work, a redesign from scratch, to make them as small and fast as the Intel NUCs.
 
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So if the rumor holds, the computer may become MacBook Pro-ish again. Which you still need to connect to things, but Apple is too solipsistic to abandon a new design, no matter how bad, just a few months down the road. Besides, Hyperdrive needs to eat too.

I'd be more excited about an iMac and Mac mini update, finally.
 
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LordVic said:
Probably not. Going AMD for CPU would prevent them from also going Thunderbolt 3 since AMD currently doesn't license the thunderbolt tech, which currently requires an Intel CPU

Unless Apple walks back on their "Thunderbolt 3 or nothing" "future"... which I don't think they will.

Could you imagine buying Thunderbolt 3 based devices that only work on your Macbook Pro 2016, but literally no other Apple computer? I couldn't imagine Apple doing that.
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Didn't Apple co-develop TB with Intel? I believe Apple would have the technical prowess and licensing rights to incorporate TB into AMD APUs. I could see Apple working with AMD to develop such a system.

Also, AMD has cross-licensing agreements with Intel for CPUs and GPUs.
 
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Shaun said:
Not everyone can afford the MB or MBP which is why keeping the more affordable MBA would be a wise move.
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Exactly. Yes, the Air is outdated in lots of ways (screen res, power, design, etc), but Apple needs a model (the MacBook Air) at a lower price point than the MacBook. And since the MacBook still has lots of appeal, Apple can continue charging higher for it.
 
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macsplusmacs said:
I am stepping away from the "Just purchased a MacBook Pro" thread right about....now.
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Apple did this before. They released the redesigned MacBook Air in October 2010 and then gave it a significant update to Sandy Bridge in July 2011.
 
If it is just Kaby Lake, the 12" MacBook still won't support TB3. They would need another chip set.
 
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LordVic said:
Price.

It's the only "Affordable" Mac laptop right now, especially in foreign markets..

In Canadian $
Cheapest MBA: $1,199
Cheapest macBook: $1,649
Chpeast MacBook Pro 13: $1,899

For those who are looking for a simple, decent laptop from Apple, the MacBook air is still the only real affordable option.
Click to expand...
That's the cheapest current Macbook. They could decide to sell the older 2016 256GB m3 near the $999 price, similar to what they did with the iPhone 5s. I can't imagine them keeping the MacBook air around much longer, it will eventually cost them more to.
 
If they update the MBP with a better battery and other features besides just Kaby Lake, I'll feel pretty stupid about buying the 2016 model. First they go almost two years without updating the MBP and now it's less than a year later.

I kind of hope they do come out with some hardware just so the "WWDC is software only" people can S.T.F.U.
 
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