New Entry-Level Mac Notebook Expected to Adopt Retina Display, Likely Launch at WWDC in June

[Abazigal]

He certainly hasn't got any intel on final pricing but he probably has excellent intel on the BoM, on the new MB and on older ones, so he can easily map all of Apple's historical profit margins.
So he can probably make an excellent guess on final pricing.

The problem is that I don't see Apple going downmarket with the Mac. If it's a cheaper Mac you want, that's the iPad.

All trends point towards the Mac becoming even more expensive, not less. It's more likely we see a refreshed 13" Macbook at an even higher starting price (say ~$1199), though it's anyone's guess if it replaces the existing 12" Macbook or if the 12" macbook receives a price drop and becomes the new entry level laptop.

In terms of specs, the MBA simply has no place to exist today. It's thicker and heavier than the Macbook, and doesn't have any USB-C port.

 

[ColdShadow]

Air is dead

Stop confusing the Internet with MacBook Air rumors!

Apple products are being slowly streamlined:

Mac - Mac Pro
MacBook - MacBook Pro
iPhone - iPhone Pro
iPad - iPad Pro

Except there is no iPhone Pro and there will never be.
It just makes no sense.

 

[Dave245]

The problem is that I don't see Apple going downmarket with the Mac. If it's a cheaper Mac you want, that's the iPad.

All trends point towards the Mac becoming even more expensive, not less. It's more likely we see a refreshed 13" Macbook at an even higher starting price (say ~$1199), though it's anyone's guess if it replaces the existing 12" Macbook or if the 12" macbook receives a price drop and becomes the new entry level laptop.

In terms of specs, the MBA simply has no place to exist today. It's thicker and heavier than the Macbook, and doesn't have any USB-C port.

I think it's possible that Apple will drop the price of the 12" MacBook to that of the Air price ($999) then introduce the 13" MacBook at the same price or at a little higher than the current 12" MacBook.

With it being a little bigger i also wonder if they will add slightly higher processors, graphics and so on, also maybe more battery so that it matches the Air's 12 hours?

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

It’s going to annoy a lot of 12 inch users

Not for me! The 12" MacBook is pretty unique in its size and design.
I honestly can't think of anything more desperate than an old Air with a new screen. Just put 128GB SSD in the MacBook 12 and you've got a £200 price reduction!
[doublepost=1520857061][/doublepost]

Perhaps a good time to simplify the lineup.

The MacBook stays as the ultra light portable for another year at least.

We get a 12" MacBook Pro that's a bit thicker with the retina display resolution of the current 13" - leaves an obvious range simplification of 14" and 16" models which are thicker and with higher resolution retina displays (ie 14" adopts same resolution as 15", and 16" gets 4k?)

We'd also squeeze quad core Iris Graphics Coffee Lake into the 14" and hex core with Radeon Vega into the 16"

More room for battery, and better (patented?) keyboard.

YES! I'd love to see a 12" MacBook Pro. That's what I was hoping for 2 years ago.

 

[swingerofbirch]

You know often you are going to replace you laptop's battery? Most likely exactly once (after three or four years). Saving $50 for this because you can do it yourself instead of paying Apple to do it isn't really a feature, it's a $50 lower overall lifetime price.

For me it's not about the cost but the convenience. You can have a spare battery ready to go. On PowerBooks the batteries were hot-swappable--you could change one out without even turning off the computer. You just put it to sleep, switched the battery fast, and opened it back up and it was where you left it. Apple used to sell carts with charged batteries for institutions for this. But it was also convenient if you were on a plane, etc. Also with replaceable batteries, if a battery is EOL, you can just order one on Amazon/Apple.com and swap it out without having to send in the whole Mac to Apple, which on the newer models requires them to replace the entire top case of the computer (with keyboard and trackpad) because it's glued in which is pretty wasteful. There have been cases of Apple not having the top case in stock and having to replace the entire computer because they were out of the top cases. You shouldn't have to transfer your data and set-up a new Mac because the battery expired.

Another issue with built-in batteries is that it's harder to notice if they're bulging. I sent my MBP in for repair for an unrelated issue with the logic board, and when it was there they found the battery was bulging and replaced it. I had no idea it was bulging. It wasn't visible at all.

Also after 3-4 years since people are out of warranty, they will often go with cheaper third party battery replacement over going through Apple directly. So I'm not sure if they end up paying more, versus the $129 user replacement batteries Apple used to offer. But it's a bigger pain.

Again, I know this doesn't fit their "pure" aesthetic and making things simpler (to the point of being more complicated). I was offering a fantasy of a Mac laptop for the rest of us.

 

[Bacillus]

I don't think that is quite the case. The iMac Pro was the official successor for the Mac Pro inside Apple for quite a while. Its development started way before the (2018) modular Mac Pro. It is said that when Apple had its press event about a year ago where they announced that a new modular Mac Pro was in the work and that an iMac Pro would come out towards the end of 2017, the decision to develop a modular Mac Pro was only a few weeks or at most a few months old (while the iMac Pro had been in the works for quite a while longer).

The iMac Pro might act like a quick stop-gap product. But that is not how it was conceived. And there definitely is a market for an iMac Pro. Almost everybody who has one really likes it.

Ah. So this was the typical modular Plastic Tower => non-modular Tower => non-modular Trashcan => aio => Modular transition that shaped the industry. Hadn’t recognized that.

 

[thekeyring]

Confusing product line.

Not if they discontinue the MacBook Air at the same time:

12" & 13" MacBook - thin, light, and maybe just affordable that I can recommend them to friends/family again (my sister doesn't fancy replacing an £800 MacBook Air with a £1200 MacBook).

13" & 15" MacBook Pro.

 

[timber]

The problem is that I don't see Apple going downmarket with the Mac. If it's a cheaper Mac you want, that's the iPad.

All trends point towards the Mac becoming even more expensive, not less. It's more likely we see a refreshed 13" Macbook at an even higher starting price (say ~$1199), though it's anyone's guess if it replaces the existing 12" Macbook or if the 12" macbook receives a price drop and becomes the new entry level laptop.

In terms of specs, the MBA simply has no place to exist today. It's thicker and heavier than the Macbook, and doesn't have any USB-C port.

I believe Apple seeks the highest margins but I also believe that they still know their history.

Apple lost to Wintel because they priced themselves out of the market (there is a nice old Jobs interview where he clearly acknowledges that). There is a difference between being expensive and being ridiculously expensive. I believe Apple has been loosing touch with reality and I also believe they know that (some signs are the lower entry price points on iPad) and I expect them to address that.

 

[citysnaps]

So, $999 low powered 13" likely with 1 or 2 usb-c ports...or $1299 for a low powered 12" with 1 usb-c port...hmm.

The original MacBook Air released by Steve Jobs in 2008 had one USB port, an 80 GB spinning hard drive, and 2 GB of RAM. All for $1,799.

A few years later that was improved upon on with ports, an SSD, a higher resolution display (but still TN-based), more RAM, and a price of $1,299.

I can see the same thing happening again with the MacBook.

 

[-BigMac-]

I saw some manufacturing images on twitter a few weeks back. I'm guessing that Apple will want to keep buzz for the X design/notch throughout the year with the X Plus early on in the year, then maybe iPad Pro's with the notch in September/October.

I thought that was rumored for the iPhone Xi Plus or whatever? You mean the one of the screen plate?

 

[tipoo]

If they take the base 13" rMBP and maybe lose Thunderbolt, and call that the Macbook 13, that would make the most sense. Then get rid of the Air, and have the 12 take over its price.

Otherwise it gets way too crowded, MBA 13, budget Macbook 13, Macbook Pro 13 without touchbar, Macbook Pro 13 with touchbar...

 

[Superhappytree]

The MacBook lineup is a mess since Tim took over. The strategy is purely aiming at profit, not a clear product portfolio or user experience. Good for the company, bad for customers as they don‘t want to research first, which device is available in which screen size but not lacking up to date internals. It‘s even worse than the heterogeneous iPad lineup. My view.

People are finally figuring out that Tim Cook is all about profit over anything else. Recycling old, out of date products like the SE and now the Air with newer internals isn’t something Jobs believed in and goes against the companies (old) values as a whole. Raising the prices of their products to ridiculous levels (see: iPhone X and TB MacBook Pro), while releasing cheaper, stripped down versions like they will be doing with the next iPhone lineup is ass backwards, a confusing mess and isn’t progressive at all. It’s lazy and plain greedy. It’s all about profit now. AirPods aside; producing quality, innovative products which are affordable enough for the masses no longer matters.

 

[BeamWalker]

The current 13" MBP line-up is expensive even for Apple standards, so this is basically where the non-touchbar MBP should have started to begin with.

I'm just hoping for sensible storage options. I can't save files on faster storage, I can save them on more of it. I bought a 8GB RAM & 250GB HDD Dual-Core Macbook Pro for 1050,- Euros exactly 8 years ago. Right now it'll cost me 1600,- Euro. And in 2010 my DSLR had 8MP and Movie Files came from DVD, now it's 42MP Files and everything is 1080 or 4K - so storage needs today are a lot higher than 8 years ago.

 

[RogerWilco]

Hope springs eternal in the breast of Man. A new Mac ________, and who cares anymore outside of fanatics who still rationalize the lamest products? Apple profits from iOS devices and services have made the Macs an afterthought.

 

[chabig]

I really want a new MBPr to replace my 2015 MBPr as I under spec'ed it when I bought it but:

• No HDMI - used a lot for presentations and I am not going to start carrying around dongles. My bag is full enough.

The pro moniker is frankly laughable at the moment.

I'm not sure which is more more laughable, 1) that you think you're a 'pro' but refuse to carry the equipment necessary to connect to your projector, or 2) that you think everyone else should be required to purchase and carry an HDMI port just because you need one.

 

[otternonsense]

The MacBook lineup is a mess since Tim took over. The strategy is purely aiming at profit, not a clear product portfolio or user experience. Good for the company, bad for customers as they don‘t want to research first, which device is available in which screen size but not lacking up to date internals. It‘s even worse than the heterogeneous iPad lineup. My view.

Apple's entire lineup is a mess since TC took over. I think Apple's portfolio peaked in terms of design robustness, interconnectivity, usability and SKU coherence in 2012-2013 (iPhone 5s, snappier MBA and the new rMBP, new Mac Pro, slimmer iMacs), and has become increasingly nonsensical ever since.

For a company run top-down like Apple, that's the sad effect of no overarching product vision or strategy. It's a haphazard mix of few flagships (which are too conceptual and/or unaffordable to set a standard), a heap of devices that are either totally neglected or iterated to death, screamingly bad OS releases, and a push into services that is in need of more TLC (eg. iCloud and its pricing). As other users have mentioned, there's no clear upgrade path for the user, and the 'walled garden' doesn't even play very well for the company's own devices (hello HomePod).

 

[JosephAW]

13.3" retina? Are glasses included? My 15" MBP seems small.

 

[tipoo]

13.3" retina? Are glasses included? My 15" MBP seems small.

Er, there's already a 12.9 and 13.3" Retina display. Things are scaled by default (no longer by 1:2 pixels in each direction as Retina used to mean) so they look like other equivalent resolutions like 1440x900 etc. Things don't look tiny because of it, this isn't new.

You can also set different equivalent resolutions on yours if things look too small.

 

[nvmls]

Hard to be excited after what they did with the Pros, imagine a "low-end" version, we'll see.. hilarious how they still play dumb with the mac mini.

 

[Internet Enzyme]

If the MacBook Air gets a 13.3" 2560x1600 screen, I'd like to see the 13" MacBook Pro move to a 2880x1800 screen and the 15" MacBook Pro move to a 3,360x2,100 screen. I often like the extra desktop space of scaled 1440x900 on the 13" MacBook Pro and it'd be great to get that as a native scaled density.

I'd take it a step further. I would not only suggest 2560 x 1600 for this new device (1280 x 720 hidipi), I would say that the whole lineup needs to have higher resolution displays than even what you suggest. Here are my suggestions: 3200 x 2000 for the 13 inch Macbook Pro (1600 x 1000 hidipi) and 3840 x 2400 for the 15 inch Macbook Pro (1920 x 1200 hidipi)

 

[DeepIn2U]

799? This is gonna be a disposable MacBook with no upgradable parts.

MBA is the ONLY MacBook that has no upgradeable parts: save for storage. MBP, MacBook both cannot upgrade ram after purchase, batteries cannot be end user replaceable (MBA as well) ... haven’t you noticed this??

 

[jonnysods]

I like the design of the MBA I hope they keep it. Although if they move it to USBC then they may as well kill it as the 13" MBP is the same device and almost just as thin and light?

 

[DeepIn2U]

You're one of those "money = everything" people. QUALITY built Apple. Not pandering to money men like they're doing now. And it wasn't dismal sales - it was a niche product produced by a major corporation for its most important customers - professionals. That's what it was "doing helpful" for Apple - keeping it relevant. Without professionals you end up with a world like we have now - Emojiland. Furthermore: If you can't carry around a 17" laptop, then maybe hit the gym.

LMAO you must me new here.

Macintosh LXii or similar workstations were not quality machines. I’m referring to the early to mid 90’s Mac’s under Amelio.
Power Mac G4 Cube with its horrible acrylic quality standards failing the outside casing? Real quality there and they killed that in 3yrs!
iMac G4’s and G5’s with various dead display or video card manufacturers fault issues and recalls?!
Cheap plastics on the 12” MacBook prior to 2008 cracking easily under normal use?!

Yeah Apple was built on quality lol. Apple. Suffered the same issues like any other manufacturer. Apple was built on customers dreams, font type (desktop publishing) breaking computing into new industries (visual arts, music production, video editing), education market in the USA, OS reliability! Those are the hallmarks of Apple that has remained since day 1, not this “quality” your talking about. Doesn’t take a genius to prove this either just come through all of the threads here over the decades.


The education market was what kept Apple healthy as well since day one until it forgot about creating innovative products and forgot about education - ask Steve Jobs. Better yet you can watch the Macworld conference of his return - he himself specifically stated that. That’s why the iMac was born - not just for consumers but also to help in K12. It eventually became the eMac specifically for that market.

 

[Bacillus]

Hope springs eternal in the breast of Man. A new Mac ________, and who cares anymore outside of fanatics who still rationalize the lamest products? Apple profits from iOS devices and services have made the Macs an afterthought.

Aah, the first sign of cognitive post-PC acknowledgment across the board.
Tim will be soo proud...

If it is so hard for a $1 trillion company to to find a better screen, toss an existing iPad on top of a decent keyboard, let it run macOS and sell it as the post-MacBook-PC pod whatever

 

[Internet Enzyme]

My 2018 release predictions

Late April
Mac Mini/new ‘value’ Macbook

WWDC
Refreshed iMac/entry level iPad/ MacOS 12/ “one more thing” = Modular Mac Pro preview

‘iOS’ September Event
iOS12/ new iPhones/new FaceID ‘bezelesss’ iPad Pros

*Macbook pros silently spec bumped around WWDC

I don't think that just a Mac mini and a value Macbook are alone enough to warrant an entire april event. those sound like wwdc things.