Get ready for a MacBook Pro and MacBook Air refresh
Apple's current MacBook Pro lineup
If you're just on your way to your local Apple Store to pick up a new MacBook, then you might want to wait a few weeks -- a refresh of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lineup seems imminent.
Since Apple didn't announce any new MacBooks at the iPhone 7 launch event, analysts are now expecting that Apple will unveil new laptops before the month is out.
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On the MacBook Pro front (which is in serious need of a revamp considering that the last major redesign happened back in June 2012), aside from giving it a much-needed processor and graphics boost, the other big updates are expected to include:
- Dropping the MagSafe 2 power port
- Replacing all the existing ports with four USB-C ports, which means dropping the SD Card slot, USB 3 ports, and Thunderbolt ports (and this isn't a problem now that the Thunderbolt 3 has been integrated with USB-C)
- Adding a new touch-sensitive OLED strip above the keyboard that will act as a sort of menu bar and shortcut pad and replace the existing function keys present on the MacBooks
- A thinner, lighter, all-aluminum chassis similar to that of the MacBook
- Addition of a Touch ID sensor (built into the power button) for logging onto the system and Apple Pay
- The current crop of leaks suggest that the headphone jack will survive this update
- Improved battery life
OK, so what about the MacBook Air?
Well, one rumor is that Apple is planning to kill off this line altogether, starting by retiring the 11-inch MacBook Air, since this space is now filled by the iPad Pro. The idea behind the rumor is that Apple is transitioning into having two lines: The MacBook and the MacBook Pro.
However, dropping the 11-inch MacBook Air would mean eliminating a low-cost Mac for those wanting to enter the macOS ecosystem.
It has also been suggested that Apple could introduce a 13-inch MacBook Air.
But it doesn't seem that the MacBook Air is going anywhere yet, and the latest leaks and supply chain chatter points to this being more of a refresh than a total redesign:
- Dropping the MagSafe 2 power port
- Replacing all the existing ports with a single USB-C port
- Addition of a Touch ID sensor (built into the power button) for logging onto the system and Apple Pay
- Force Touch trackpad (bringing it in line with the MacBook Pro)
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