Kuo: Two Redesigned MacBook Pros in 2021 and New MacBook Air in 2022, All With Apple Silicon and Mini-LED Displays

[cult hero]

I and many others now rely on the TouchBar daily, for everything from word suggestions too quick access to tools in pro apps.

Adding a real escape key made the TouchBar so much better for me. I don't love it by any stretch—and probably not so much because of the implementation but just before I simply I don't use my laptop as a laptop much—but the number of people I know who can touch type and incorporate the function keys in any special capacity into their touch typing is tiny. I suspect that number is even smaller than the number of people who use the TouchBar.

Heck, even looking at my everyday use mechanical keyboard versus a standalone Apple keyboard versus my laptop, it's not like the function keys are even put in a standardized place across layouts. To me, the TouchBar has just become a thing to complain about for the sake of complaining.

As noted before, the "soft" escape key was really the biggest issue in the first generation models. Once that was solved, I have no gripes. Separating TouchID was also a plus.I don't make heavy use of it but volume and brightness sliders are nicer than their function key equivalents and I really, really like being able to customize it. Siri is gone and replaced with Lock Screen.

 

[cult hero]

Bummer. The only Mac I would be interested in is a redesigned MacBook with Apple silicon.

This is where I'm at. I think a 12" MacBook with the M series has a lot of potential over the previous generations. The size of that machine was just so nice. The new processors means it can run much, much faster though.

My wishlist is a 12" MacBook that's got bezels thin enough to be pretty close to on par with the 13.3" models, the newer keyboards (that's a given at this point) and two ports instead of one. In a perfect world, 3-4 ports with at least one USB-C on the right. Oh yeah, and make it available in red, lol.

 

[08fdange]

Dear Apple, please scrap the TouchBar on the next MacBook Pro redesign.

From: Everyone

Speak for yourself, not “everyone” because that’s far from accurate.

 

[bklement]

I had work-supplied 15” MBPs for many years. Now using a 13” MBP in clamshell with external monitors. The extra screen space on the 16” would be nice, but the big draw would be the additional ports (for more monitors and such) and beefier hardware. The 13” M1 MBP is replacing the low-end 13” MBP. The next ones, whether 14” or 16” (or both), will have more ports.

I guess it depends on the sector. Nowadays I could work on a raspberry pi given enough memory. The CI/CD handles the heavy load, and the product itself runs in the cloud anyway. Calling these MBP's low-end is ridiculous, and won't make Apple's mistake go away..

 

[smoking monkey]

Deep Blacks dominating the screen for vast majority of the time isn't really a widespread "norm".

Aren't more and more people using Dark Mode? I thought that was one of the big things that everybody was excited about with Catalina or iOS 13 or whenever it was released on Apple.

I use it as much as possible and when I see a website that is old school, it's quite jarring. MR has DM and it makes it so much easier on the eyes.
I guess as more developers and more websites implement it, the efficiency of the tech should increase.

 

[Freida]

Yes, you are right, but the display tech is better. In fact, its better than OLED. So, MiniLED is the best we can get until we arrive to MicroLED. OLED is inferior to this.

XDR has fans because its another beast. This won't be the case so don't worry about it.

More lights and more control processing for the lights may not bring energy savings on many regular mainstream screens. If can turn most of the them offf ( or way down ) with a dark mode theme perhaps. But that is content based savings, not really the tech.

If vast majority of the content is bring and complex dynamics scenes then could use more. The XDR monitor has fans in it. Most monitors don't . ( yes, it is being held to higher color accuracy but it is also producing heat with its array and the associated processing. ).

 

[unchecked]

Adding a real escape key made the TouchBar so much better for me. I don't love it by any stretch—and probably not so much because of the implementation but just before I simply I don't use my laptop as a laptop much—but the number of people I know who can touch type and incorporate the function keys in any special capacity into their touch typing is tiny. I suspect that number is even smaller than the number of people who use the TouchBar.

Heck, even looking at my everyday use mechanical keyboard versus a standalone Apple keyboard versus my laptop, it's not like the function keys are even put in a standardized place across layouts. To me, the TouchBar has just become a thing to complain about for the sake of complaining.

As noted before, the "soft" escape key was really the biggest issue in the first generation models. Once that was solved, I have no gripes. Separating TouchID was also a plus.I don't make heavy use of it but volume and brightness sliders are nicer than their function key equivalents and I really, really like being able to customize it. Siri is gone and replaced with Lock Screen.

I'd like a row of TouchID-like buttons. Customizable and you can assign them to different functions and show icons for it like a built-in Elgato Stream Deck.

The important thing here is we want to feel the button before we press it, not only when we press it. That was the main issue with the escape key and it's a good thing they gave us back that key.

 

[Cosmosent]

Within the next three years, Kuo's optimistic scenario sees MacBook shipments grow significantly by 100 percent with up to 35 million units per year, thanks to the adoption of Apple Silicon and refreshed designs.

Disagree 100% on the Reason !

It will be third-party apps on M1, & future Apple Silicon Macs, that will be the main Catalyst !

Kuo is clearly strictly a Hardware guy !

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Dear Apple, please scrap the TouchBar on the next MacBook Pro redesign.

From: Everyone

Going by my extensive and statistically significant polling (counting the Like/Love to Disagree ratio of your post (20:78)), 79.6% of users want the touch bar to be dumped, and 20.4% want it to stay. Apple, dump it.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I and many others now rely on the TouchBar daily, for everything from word suggestions too quick access to tools in pro apps.

Your touch bar should have suggested "to" instead of "too"

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Touchbar is not progressive. Its poorly implemented and kinda useless. Your comparison is only provocative but not adequate. Touchbar is slower on any account and. Anyone can do anything faster than touchbar by default. Thats not assumption thats a fact that can be proven.
With keyboard, you don't look at the keys because not only you have physical tactile feel but you also kinda know where everything is.
With touchbar, you have to look down from the screen to check the touchbar and THEN you remove the hand from the keyboard and press the right tool or choice. Those actions alone are way slower than if you do it on screen or with keyboard shortcuts. However you want to spin this nonsensical VCR comment the fact is that touchbar is slower.
The idea behind touchbar wasn't necessarily bad but the implementation is. The first admission from Apple came with physical ESC key. That itself was the first step to recognise that everything touch is not that great. It was the first step and it was right one. Physical ESC beats touchbar ESC and Apple realised it.
If you don't see that then you might continue with some VCR nonsense but if you do then you will take the VCR back.

Touch vs Physical = all have purpose and usage. Not everything can be applied everywhere.
Just like physical keyboard will always beat touch keyboard even if the size etc. is identical, physical wins.

So no, we are not using VCR

True that. I wish car manufacturers would realise it too. Tesla started it, and now other manufacturers are copying it, and removing physical dials and buttons and putting it all in the touch screen, aaaargh!

 

[warriors2017]

This is where I'm at. I think a 12" MacBook with the M series has a lot of potential over the previous generations. The size of that machine was just so nice. The new processors means it can run much, much faster though.

My wishlist is a 12" MacBook that's got bezels thin enough to be pretty close to on par with the 13.3" models, the newer keyboards (that's a given at this point) and two ports instead of one. In a perfect world, 3-4 ports with at least one USB-C on the right. Oh yeah, and make it available in red, lol.

I'm thinking about getting a 13" MacBook Air but I really want a 16" MacBook Air 😅

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Your credit card will have expired by the time you get the things you want to hear about.

Jeez, I know mine will have. All I want is an M1 MBA with a 16" screen and no touch bar. Don't need no high power, high cost, MBP, but do need 16". I know I'm dreaming. And do want 16" but no touch bar. I know, I'm dreaming again.

 

[MowgliWolf]

I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with, should be pretty damned special if the M1 is anything to go by.
Probably an unpopular opinion but if they’re gonna keep it at 16” rather than slim down the bezels and make the screen bigger, I really hope they go iPad/iPhone by rounding off the screen corners and stick a notch where the camera is. That way info stays right n left of it and puts it out of the way of the viewable real estate. (I’ve always thought it was a bit of a clever design choice myself)

an optional touch bar would be nice too for those of us who prefer function keys vs added costs

 

[Jimmy James]

So an AS higher-tier small MBP and bigger MBP?

 

[Jimmy James]

I hope the performance chips reach the Mini.

 

[Apple_Robert]

A year away seems like a lifetime at this point in time. I may not even be here tomorrow. Given how the world has changed, getting excited about all things Apple is not what it used to be for me. I will save my excitement for the reality of life, not a rumor document touted as research from more rumors.

 

[HarryWild]

Oh no not this strategy again. First with the iPad, then Apple Watch SE (using a two year old S5 chip (which is basically S4)) and now Macs. Screw them. A generation old chip is actually not great for performance, and they are really mediocre in terms of performance by today's standards (not even accounting for a few years later). I get they want to lower the price, but at least make it like the iPhone SE and use the latest chip

It called the budget line of Apple products that are not iPhones!

 

[RogerWilco]

Ok, I know almost everyone here is super excited for ARM (and I am for the most part other than for this Q), but does this mean I should go for the 2019's 16'' if I want a dual-boot able one?

I got some science-y programs that are essential for my research but requires windows/linux, and I can't happily move on yet with the ARM (til I have some expendable income for an extra laptop 🤣)

I cancelled my recent order for a M1 Mac after realizing that a lot of my legacy apps will not run under Rosetta and the next gen of AS is only four months away.

 

[CarlJ]

I guess it depends on the sector. Nowadays I could work on a raspberry pi given enough memory. The CI/CD handles the heavy load, and the product itself runs in the cloud anyway. Calling these MBP's low-end is ridiculous, and won't make Apple's mistake go away..

Calling them low-end isn't ridiculous, it's factual. Go tell Apple you want to buy a 13" MBP and look at the screen that comes up: they've got two M1 models at lower prices, with less memory and storage and two Thunderbolt ports each, and two Intel models, at higher prices with more memory and storage and four Thunderbolt ports each. They literally replaced the lowest-rung 13" MBPs with the M1 models. They will eventually replace the higher-end Intel models with M1 models that will almost certainly have more extensive memory and storage options and the four Thunderbolt ports. My guess is that we'll see 14" and (hopefully) 16" higher-end MBPs with an M1X in the spring.

I could work on a Pi if I needed to (I've got a spare 8GB Pi 4 in a box and most of my work is remote over ssh), but I'd rather not - they're excellent small computers for dedicated tasks, and good for learning, but every Linux GUI I've seen leaves a lot to be desired compared to macOS, for day to day use.

 

[Flight Plan]

...My pets felled my 2004 PowerBook multiple times tripping on the cord and the last time the power pin broke off inside the machine. My MBP's had MagSafe unplugged multiple times. Apple even had a hilarious commercial about Windows laptops falling down after the cord got yanked.

People need MagSafe to protect against clumsy pets? Seriously?

Okay, so to all the people who want to make the touchbar "optional"...

Some find it useful. I don't. Let's join our forces, and nag Apple to make it optional. They already made the first step returning Esc.

...Seriously though, this really just speaks to the fact that, as has been said by a few others, Apple should just give us a choice of a "fully loaded" MBP with or without a TB...

Maybe they should offer it as optional, 300 € for the "Pro" users

Will the redesign include the Touch Bar as an option?

There are people out there who need to get actual work done!

I have your options for you!

Option #1: Cover up that touchbar; suitable for a Silver MBP!
Option #2: Stylish, a great solution for the charcoal or black MBP
Option #3: A lovely choice for the gold MBP! Can also repair your gold toilets and bathroom fixtures!

And there you have it, your "Optional" touchbar!

 

[Flight Plan]

So I'm looking forward to the 16", but honestly, the way I set it up, I'll probably just leave it closed and use it like a desktop with an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard or trackball. The reason I won't get a smaller one is for those times when I'm traveling with it.

Yeah, I'm still hoping that Covid will go away, or at least maybe we'll get The Great Mask Revolt of 2021. My biggest concern is for the women and children. 🙂 But even if that doesn't happen, the 16" would work for my needs.

 

[Amen22]

Dear Apple, Please consider faceID on macbook pro
would be really usefull that all websites open for you without even touching the fingerprint button
and that you can go through pages without pausing to scan a finger

 

[cult hero]

I'd like a row of TouchID-like buttons. Customizable and you can assign them to different functions and show icons for it like a built-in Elgato Stream Deck.

The important thing here is we want to feel the button before we press it, not only when we press it. That was the main issue with the escape key and it's a good thing they gave us back that key.

The Esc key has a bunch of standard functions though. It appears on keyboards in a relatively consistent space. It's always at the far top left.

The function keys, on the other hand, aren't in standard positions. On a Mac sans the TouchBar F1 is small and directly above the number 1 whereas on a larger keyboard like the one I typically work on, it's like a half-key's width above the number keys, full size, and directly above 2. The number of touch typists hitting that, I imagine, is low especially factoring the non-standard placement. For me to hit it my whole hand has to move up which is just not a thing I do.

In my own workflows, 95%+ of my special keys are bound to a modifier key of some sort. They're so much easier to hit than the function keys.

Additionally, the TouchBar is more than just pretty buttons. Things like sliders, color pickers, tabs, etc. aren't thinks that are doable with single buttons. Perhaps they could add some haptics to it but... really, the functions it handles are rarely anything I touch type. You can't "touch type" a volume slider. The whole idea is custom controls and it also aids discoverability.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I bought my MBP M1 13 inch. My plan is to use it for a year then give it to my other sibling then upgrade to a iMac M1.