New MacBooks: what we want and what we will get (probably)



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On October 30, Apple will hold an event and we assume that the new iPad Pro, with its new design for iPhone X-style and Face ID, will be the star of the series. We have also heard of a new MacBook, and it would certainly be a good time to announce it.

The real leaks of the new design and new features of the MacBook have been hard to find. There was a Bloomberg report this summer outlining some highlights, and not much else.

One could say that Apple does not always listen to what its users want (no one asked helmets must be removed from the iPhone) and we expect the new MacBooks to continue this way – they will Apples idea of ​​what a new awesome slim and light laptop should be, but not necessarily ours. Here are some of the things we want and expect.

What we want: a MacBook to replace two

At the moment, we have the MacBook, a thin, lightweight 12-inch notebook that has suffered a slight bounce from the processor about 16 months ago, and the MacBook Air, a thin, lightweight 13-inch notebook that has update less important at about the same time. (The 11-inch Air is no longer for sale.)

There is no valid reason for these two products to exist.

What we will get: A MacBook

We believe that Apple will stop splitting its thin thin line in two and install on a single MacBook. Think of it as a successor to the 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Air, although the name "Air" probably disappears.

Given that we expect the new product to have a price comparable to that of the MacBook Air, but a Retina display like the 12-inch MacBook, it seems foolish to keep both brands.

What we want: quad-core CPU

We are as excited as anyone to see what a MacBook would look like with a chip designed by Apple, but if that happens, it will take a few years.

The Core m3 in the starting configuration of the 12-inch MacBook is embarrassingly slow for a $ 1,300 laptop. And the MacBook Air is still equipped with an old dual core system fifth generation Intel Core processors.

The best lightweight and light Windows laptops now have quad-core processors. Apple needs to step up.

What we will get: the double heart to start with a quad-core option

Most likely, Apple will use the latest Intel "Whiskey Lake" eighth generation processor, available in two-core, four-core (Core i3) and four-core, eight-threaded (Core i5 and i7) models.

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The Whiskey Lake U series is perfect for Apple's new MacBooks.

The base model will probably be the Core i3 Dual Core, with the Core i5 and i7 options available.

What we want: MagSafe charging

People like MagSafe. It was an elegant solution for a rugged charging connector that stays in place when you want it and comes off effortlessly when someone stumbles on the cord. The MacBook Air is the last Mac to use it.

Magsafe IDG

Goodbye, MagSafe. We will miss you.

What we will get: USB-C charge

There is a reason why the MacBook Air, which did not have any real updated in over three years, is the only one still using the MagSafe connector. Apple is all-in on USB-C on Mac, and we can not imagine that the new will be different.

What we want: the old keyboard (or one like that)

The new "butterfly" keyboard is, at best, controversial. Ignore the fact that he's not even strong enough to stand a little bit of dust, short-range, high-noise clicky sounds really bothered most Mac users. The best compliment that the Mac community can do is that it is not really that bad or it does not have a problem.

Apple has gone from the industry's best laptop keyboard to "perfectly fine". This is not an upgrade.

What we will get: the new Butterfly keyboard

Apple solved the problem of reliability with a keyboard service program and a design change of the butterfly keyboard covering the mechanism of a silicone membrane.

That's fine, but the typing experience remains a significant degradation for most Mac users.

ifixit mbp keyboard I fix it

The new butterfly design is more resistant to dust, but it is just as bad to type.

Well, no luck. Anyway, Apple will give us the new keyboard, because it is thinner and saves a little thick, and it is good that our laptop is a millimeter thick.

Until Apple develops a completely new keyboard mechanism, it is a butterfly keyboard.

What we want: gray of space

Do you know what's going well? The new matte black Surface 6. We wanted for a long time that Apple offers us a matte black Mac. almost succeeded with the iMac Pro space gray. The finish is not quite dull and not quite black, but the shine is reduced to a minimum and the gray is very dark.

We would like to have the new laptop in the same color, at least optional.

What we will get: "Space gray"

The new MacBook will probably have the same colors as the current MacBook: silver, rose gold, gold and space gray. But the gray space used on current MacBook and MacBook Pros is, well, it's a darker money, if we're honest.

apple imac pro Apple

It's not really dull black, but the dark gray of the iMac Pro is close enough.

We want at least one gray space that corresponds to the iMac Pro, HomePod and Apple Watch. If Apple has not seen fit to adapt the new MacBook Pro to these products, it will probably not start with the new MacBook.

What we want: No Touch Bar

The touch bar has not been a success. There, we said it.

At best, this can be helpful at times, but it is a small consolation for the constant annoyance of an Esc key and function keys that you can not locate. Adding dynamic interface elements to the keyboard is an imperfect task: it requires a portion of the computer that you are supposed to use blindly, while keeping your eyes on the screen and requires you to watch it all the time. It's not like the dynamic interface elements have nowhere to go: the full main display could be used for them.

macbook pro late2016 review adam touchbar favicons Adam Patrick Murray

The touch bar is gimmicky, expensive and boring. Let him die, Apple.

What we will get: No Touch Bar

Fortunately for those of us who are not fans of the Touch Bar, it is unlikely that it will appear on the new MacBook. It is an expensive element, both in dollars and in internal volume. In an effort to keep the price down and to pack a thin, lightweight laptop with as much battery as possible, Apple will probably not include the Touch Bar.

What we want: Facial identity

If you have already used Windows Hello, you know how awesome it is to open your laptop. It automatically unlocked and logged in with the appropriate user account. The facial identity would be a natural choice for Mac laptops because the screen always displays your face. Perfect for login, authentication of purchases, entering passwords with a password manager, etc.

What we will get: Touch ID

The facial identity is probably a bit too expensive for cheaper Mac laptops. Not only is the module itself expensive, but it relies on A11 and A12 processor technology, and the necessary processing capabilities are not present in the Mac T2 processor. In addition, it is not clear if there is enough thickness for the TrueDepth module in the upper frame of a screen cover.

However, Apple really wants us to use strong and unique passwords related to biometric authentication. The Touch ID is the second best thing to do. It is neither too expensive nor too bulky for a laptop with a thousand dollars.

What we want: a better camera

FaceTime cameras on Mac are only horrible. They are years behind the resolution and quality of built-in webcams on the best Windows laptops. It's time to change, and if we can not have a full module of True Depth, give us at least a better webcam.

What we will get: the T2 module

Apple will probably still build a rather dull camera in the new MacBook, but at least its image processing will be better.

more color t2 I fix it

This is not exactly a better camera, but the T2 chip should give a better appearance to our FaceTime calls.

We expect every new Mac to have the T2 processor (found in the iMac Pro and the 2018 MacBook Pro). It manages secure boot, drive encryption, Touch ID, audio processing and image processing for the built-in camera. If the new MacBook is equipped with a Touch ID, it will need to have a T2, which means we will have better image processing on the FaceTime camera.

What we want: inherited ports

Of course, USB-C is the future. But USB-A is the present. We have a ton of accessories that still use USB-A, and many of them will never have USB-C variants. And it's not just USB ports. People invest in wired headphones and like to plug the SD card in their camera into a place to take pictures.

What we will get: USB-C only (and only two of them)

There is a 50% chance that the new MacBook does not even have a headphone jack, but there is almost no chance it will have a port other than USB-C. On the technical side, the ports will support both Thunderbolt 3, which means they will be perfect for external monitors and hard drives, but you can forget to connect your USB-A or SD cards without a dongle.

2017 macbook usbc port Roman Loyola

We will probably only get USB-C on the new MacBooks, but Apple can not be crazy enough to put a single port on it.

Oh, there will be so dongles sold.

At least, we do not expect Apple to continue the ridiculous error of the MacBook to have only one USB-C port that must be shared by both the charger and the devices, drives or monitors that you want to connect. We will probably have two USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 ports, similar to the 13-inch MacBook Pro without touchbar.

What we want: a starting price of $ 799

Mac backups have been trending down lately. There are simply not enough reasons to improve and the prices are too high. A starting price of around $ 800 would go a long way toward boosting sales and would also mean that a one-step model (with a Core i5 instead of Core i3 and possibly more storage) would cost around $ 999.

This is a MacBook upgrade that deserves to be developed and may even appeal to some customers looking for high-end Windows laptops.

What we will get: A starting price of $ 999

Apple will probably not make a lot of compromises here. The company seems to target the iPad, much cheaper, as a "computer" of education, so it does not need to fight to buy from school.

With a Retina display, a Touch ID and upgraded processors, all offered at the same starting price as the MacBook Air, Apple will have everything they need to offer a starting price of $ 999. Of course, this is a big upgrade at the same price as the current MacBook Air (or a significant discount compared to the MacBook at $ 1,299, if you prefer to look at it that way). But that seems to be the case, as Apple's current range of ultra-thin and light laptops is significantly underfed and too expensive compared to the rest of the market. Technology sold by Apple for years at the same price as when it was new. The new prices may be fair and reasonable, but not the aggressive push for the market share we may want.

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