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Bought an intel 13" i5 MBP this year; really looking like the 3rd or 4th generation M1 equivalent will be the one to go for. A redesign, any kinks ironed out and a chance for software to come out on the new platform and be further optimised.
 
I hope They FINALLY include a touch screen?
Lazy APPLE. No touch screen when Surface by Microsoft has had it for years
Whats a iPad Pro M1 aka MacBook M1 without a touch screen?
wanna run iPad and iPhone apps on your Mac ? You need a touch screen!
does craig need to create bigger slides with the letters NO on it?

touch screens are USELESS on a mac
 
Yea, no one is buying Surface or that many touchsreen WIN laptops. It's one of those random things stupid say they want but when it comes to buying it, they avoid it. Yea, only a moron wants a touchscreen Mac. want touchscreen PC, buy the Surface. Apple smarter than nitwits. Totally agree.

I disagree, the issue with the Surface and Windows is they try to force everyone into one UI blended for both but not great for either. I think Apple can do better, and I think there is a long-term roadmap that will bring both the iPad Pro and macOS devices into one umbrella of devices. It does not mean that you will lose macOS on the desktop or iPadOS on the tablet, it will just allow a spectrum of devices to exist where it makes sense. Effectively you could have an iPad Pro that has one kernel (it likely is mostly one kernel but with unmerged differences between the two) and two or more UI options on top of that. On the desktop you would have fully macOS interface, on the consumption focused (without keyboard) iPad you would get iPadOS optimized for touch interface... but in the middle you could effectively have two different optimized interfaces depending on how the device is used (i.e. iPadOS UI for tablet use, and optionally a more macOS UI for power functionality when docked with a keyboard).

All these moves we have seen over the last few years I think all sort of fit into one master plan....

On the iPad Pro side:
  • Separate iPadOS from iOS early so that it can in the future move closer to macOS.
  • Introduce Keypad and trackpad for iPad Pro.
  • encourage development of a unified application that works both on an iPad with an iPadOS UI and a macOS UI within the same application.
And on the mac roadmap side:
  • Move the UI to be more unified in design language with iPad OS
  • Move macOS platform to same SoC/CPU as iPad Pro
  • Refresh UI to be able to handle touch in the future when the roadmap allows for introduction of touch.
  • Allow for iPad Apps to run in the platform and encourage the apps to implement both iPadOS UI elements and macOS elements depending on which platform it runs on.
Often we see the moves in the current and don't see the pattern or reason for it until further down the Apple roadmap, but this is how I view it developing.

I don't see it as a bad thing -- as long as you don't try to make all the hammer square pegs into round holes as Microsoft tried to do with Microsoft Windows 8. (i.e. make a UI worse for one use case or the other -- or more commonly both).
 


Apple plans to release additional MacBook models with Apple Silicon in the second half of 2021, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as part of the company's two-year transition away from Intel processors across its Mac lineup.

m1-chip-macbook-air-pro.jpg

In a research note today, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said that these MacBook models will feature a new design. Kuo did not specify which models these will be, but he previously claimed that redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple Silicon would launch in the late second quarter or third quarter of 2021.

Other rumored Apple Silicon Macs include a redesigned 24-inch iMac and a smaller version of the Mac Pro tower.

Apple's first Macs with its custom M1 chip, including the new MacBook Air, lower-end 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, began arriving to customers last week. Models that continue to use Intel processors for the time being include the 13-inch MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt ports, 16-inch MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, and Mac Pro.

Kuo added that demand for the new iPad Air has been better than expected. Looking ahead to 2021, he expects that the iPad's growth momentum will come from the adoption of new technologies such as Mini-LED backlighting and 5G support. Kuo expects a new low-priced iPad to launch in the second half of 2021 — presumably the ninth-generation iPad.

Kuo also expects third-generation AirPods to launch in the late second quarter of 2021. He has previously claimed that the design of the third-generation AirPods will be "similar to AirPods Pro," but likely without active noise cancellation.

Last, Kuo predicted that the "new Apple Watch shipment's momentum in 2021 will benefit from innovative health management functions and improved form factor design," but it is unclear if he is referring to the Apple Watch Series 6's new casing options like blue aluminum or to redesigned Apple Watch Series 7 models.

Article Link: Kuo: Redesigned MacBooks With Apple Silicon to Launch in Second Half of 2021
The good news here is that second Half 2021 means that these new MacBook Pros will probably run on M2 instead of M1X. Second generation CPU sounds like a good idea.
 
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if they reduce the bezels, unless they change the form factor they will have to reduce keyboard size too. imo, that's a problem. i don't think bezels are the issue at all. the issue is the 480p camera and only a single tbp.
Hmmm... your comment seems odd/counter-intuitive...

If they reduce the bezels... they can keep the exact same MB12 form factor (simply change the top case front to incorporate a 13" screen)... yes they could just shrink the bezel with the case, but that's unlikely (and this could be the "new Air").

All that would require little tooling change. Don't know if top case thickness on the MB12 precludes a 720p camera, but yeah hopefully they can sort that out (which may require a new top case)... or go high end and create camera "punch-hole" 13 inch LCD (although given these are the low cost Macs that may be unlikely).

Having 2 USB4 ports required minor tooling changes to the bottom case but should be a no-brainer.

Net is the only thing stopping Apple from building an M1 MacBook (as basically everything spec-wise in 13" Air, except maybe 1-2 hours less battery life, in the MB 12 volume) is Apple's desire to do so.
 
16" is not a new design, it's just a bigger screen based on a very old and stale design, therefore it's way overdue for a redesign.


It is a new design.
1) Bigger Body
2) all new speakers
3) new screen size
4) new processors
5) new GPUs
6) New Keybord
7) New memory limit
8) new SSDs Limit
9) new battery

Yes, it look like a new design.
 
Big Sur has a lot of hint for touch screen. Bigger buttons. Larger spaces. All for no reasons except preparing to accommodate touch input.
That's one possibility. But with how the new ipad air looks and the lack of rumors about the new 11" ipad pro, I'd place my money on the new ipad pro 12.9" having the distinctive feature of being able to run macos at least in some circumstances. Then boom, they have a surface-like device with magic keyboard without unnecessarily putting touch screens in notebooks.
 
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Not much of a prediction from Kuo, we all know new models are coming 😅
On the bright side, if this first M1 Macs are so good I’m excited to see what the second iteration will deliver.
 
I have had touch screens on Toughbooks and Thinkpads since the Noughties, and while I do not consider it essential, there are situations where it is useful.
I do not quite get the aversion to having it as an option. There is no need to use it - presumably Apple would not remove trackpad/mouse support.
Well, we are not enthusiastic about paying an extra 100 bucks so you can have a touch screen.
 
Please get rid of the touchbar.... Please get rid of the touchbar.... Please get rid of the touchbar.... Please get rid of the touchbar.... Please get rid of the touchbar.... Please get rid of the touchbar.... Please get rid of the touchbar.... Please get rid of the touchbar.... Please get rid of the touchbar....
I like touch bar. Apple please make second generation.
 
I hope They FINALLY include a touch screen?
Lazy APPLE. No touch screen when Surface by Microsoft has had it for years
Whats a iPad Pro M1 aka MacBook M1 without a touch screen?
wanna run iPad and iPhone apps on your Mac ? You need a touch screen!
"Lazy Apple" - Where did you learn English?

You absolutely don't need a Touch screen to run iPad and iPhone apps, as any app developer will tell you. Trackpad and keyboard work just fine. Actually, they work better than a touch screen. Touchscreen on a laptop, and an hour later you know how heavy your arms are. If Microsoft has had it for years, and Apple doesn't, the logical conclusion isn't that Apple is lazy, the logical conclusion is that unlike Microsoft, Apple knows what they are doing and don't listen to fanboys asking for gimmicks.
 
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I sure am interested to see what the update schedule of Mac chips will be. Do we have to wait till September for M1X?
 
There’s no way I have to wait for next year to enjoy Apple Silicon. Life is too short for waiting.

What I’ll do now is enjoy my base m1 air, save $35 each month until next year. Then sell my base air and upgrade to the 14” mbp. Ez
 
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These rumours are just weird.

Apple has just released the first Silicon chip, the low-end M1. Apple has updated three low-end Macs by replacing the Intel processors with the low-end M1 chip. The logical next step is going through the product line and replacing some more processors with M1. The obvious candidates are the low-end 21" iMacs with dual core and quad core processor, and _maybe_ the cheapest of the 27" iMacs with quad core processor. That's what I expect, and I expect it this year or in January.

The next step, and that will take as long as it takes, is creating a mid-end processor with 8 performance cores, likely 4 power saving cores, likely 12 or 16 GPU cores, 16 or 32 GB RAM, and more ports / support for more monitors. And then two rounds of replacing all Intel processors with up to 12 cores because they are not needed anymore. That will be all the Mac minis, all MacBooks, all iMacs except high end iMac Pro's replaced.

Except for fanboys being fanboys, there is no need for any design changes.
 
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I disagree. I want Macs to stay non-touch oriented. Granted, they’ll eventually probably have to add it, but I don’t want a Mac to be a Surface.
Yeah. In my opinion a touch screen MacBook doesn’t make much sense when an iPad with the magic keyboard is essentially the same product.
 
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