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Sunday, July 22, 2018

MacBook 2018: What We Want To See

What will the MacBook 2018 look like?

MacBook 2018

It’s been more than a year since the latest version of the 12-inch MacBook made it to market. We’re ready for the sequel.

On paper, the 2017 MacBook was exactly what we’ve been begging for from apple since its rebirth in 2015. Apple’s proprietary butterfly keyboard is more tactile, while the internals also saw huge advances – thanks to 7th-generation Intel Core m3, i5, and i7 Intel Kaby Lake processors.

However, now that we have 8th-generation Kaby Lake-R and Coffee Lake processors for notebooks, we’re kind of hoping to see a huge leap in performance with the MacBook 2018. Keep in mind, however, that Apple is planning on replacing all Intel processors with its own Cupertino-crafted silicon by 2020.

This ‘Kalamata Initiative’ is further backed up by rumors we’ve seen that Apple is hiring ex-Intel engineers to work on its processors. What this all means for the Macbook 2018 is anyone’s guess, but we’re expecting to see three Macs with custom co-processors later this year.

There have been rumors that Apple is working on a crumb-resistant and spill-proof keyboard, which isn’t surprising, given that even Apple has admitted that some of its keyboards are faulty.

We’ve also seen speculation that Apple is planning on releasing five different MacBooks this year. This is particularly interesting: Apple just released the MacBook Pro 2018, so that’s two models down, three to go. What will they be? When will we see them? Well, a previous rumor that we’re getting a cheaper 13-inch MacBook tie into this – we may see this cheaper model alongside a continuation of the current ultra-premium 12-inch MacBook we have today.

Whatever the MacBook 2018 looks like, we just hope it doesn’t stray too far from the quirks that made it so great in the first place. But, whatever it looks like, keep this page bookmarked – we’ll update it as soon as we find out more.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? Apple’s thinnest 2018 laptop
  • When is it out? April 2018 at the earliest
  • What will it cost? Presumably the same as current models
  • MacBook 2018

MacBook 2018

MacBook 2018 release date

None of the most recent reports, rumors or leaks give any lead as to when we’ll see the 2018 MacBook. Of course, we’ll gladly speculate based on the previous three releases of Apple’s 12-inch laptop.

In 2015, Apple released the first MacBook during April, directly following a March keynote. That’s a largely odd time for Apple to release a device, but that obviously didn’t happen this time.

It’s highly unlikely for the MacBook price to budge in either direction.

We’re probably going to see the MacBook 2018 coming out in September, especially since Apple didn’t announce any hardware at WWDC 2018. And, the fact that the leaks and rumors are going crazy right now seems to back that up. 

However, the five leaked MacBooks are rumored to be running macOS 10.13 – so, we may see them even earlier. We could even see a launch similar to the MacBook Pro 2018 – where Apple just kind of releases them out of the blue. 

At the end of the day, we won’t hear any information about the MacBook 2018 until Apple is ready to give it, so we don’t really know when it’s going to make its debut. Today it looks like we’ll see it in late 2018 – hopefully before the holiday shopping rush.

Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess as to when we’ll see the 2018 MacBook. We’ll look out for new rumors or announcements and update this article as soon as the MacBook 2018 release date begins to grow clearer.

MacBook 2018

MacBook 2018 price

While we do think that Apple will put out a MacBook around the same price as the current models, we have seen speculation that Apple is planning on releasing a cheaper 13-inch Retina MacBook. So, whether or not that will play a factor in the MacBook 2018’s price remains to be seen.

This is another aspect where we’ll have to speculate based on the current pricing of the MacBook. The entry-level MacBook will run you $1,299, £1,249 or AU$1,899 to start. Only one more model, with more storage and power, goes for another 300 to 450 bucks on top of that. However, there is speculation that Apple is going to be releasing a cheaper 2018 MacBook that will be more in line with the pricing of the MacBook air, around $999.  

We’re also anticipating Apple to release a brand new, 13-inch MacBook this year.

With the pricing so tight here, amounting to minute differences in hardware between offerings, it’s highly unlikely for the MacBook price to budge in either direction. That is short of Apple introducing more capacious storage or higher power options, which will send the price in only one direction: up.

For the MacBook, price to come down, or for Apple to release a cheaper MacBook model alongside more expensive version, something has to give. Apple could lower the memory down to 4GB from 8GB, but we don’t think that’ll happen. Instead, we believe it’d be much more likely for Apple to release a MacBook with a 128GB SSD instead of starting with 256GB.

We’ll look out for new rumors and update this article as soon as the MacBook 2018 price begins to crop up as we inch closer.

MacBook 2018

What we want to see in MacBook 2018

All of this uncertainty surrounding a possible MacBook 2018 release is fertile ground for a well-crafted wishlist.

So, here’s what we hope to see Apple improve about the MacBook for 2018.

MacBook 2018 keyboard and screen 

Building off of an earlier patent that showed us Apple’s plans to create a MacBook with dual screens, there are now rumors that it will use that second screen to create a sort of touch keyboard. We don’t know exactly what it’ll be capable of, but there’s potential there for on-the-fly region changing and easy access to an emoji keyboard – instead of having emoji relegated to the Touch Bar. 

And, of course, if Apple does follow through with this keyboard design, they’ll implement haptic feedback so that you’ll get the same experience as using a mechanical keyboard, only with the flexibility that a touchscreen keyboard brings with it. However, it’s easy to expect this to raise the price in any MacBook that implements it.

However, even if that Touchscreen keyboard is exclusive to the MacBook Pro 2018, that doesn’t mean that the MacBook 2018 won’t see any improvements. Apple has recently admitted that some of the keyboards in recent MacBooks are faulty – and will even repair them for free. This adds a layer of authenticity to that rumor we saw earlier this year that the MacBook 2018 will have a keyboard that’s crumb and spill-proof. Either way, we don’t know what the keyboard in the next MacBook is going to look like – maybe it’ll be spill proof because it’ll be a screen? 

More ports, please

Our biggest bugbear with the 12-inch MacBook, since its launch, has been the incredibly sore lack of ports on the laptop. Still equipped with nothing but a lone Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port and a headphone jack, this absolutely needs to change in the next version. Just one more?

We’ve already seen Windows laptops accomplish this feat, like the Huawei MateBook X with its two USB-C ports. Even the similarly priced MacBook Pro has a pair of Thunderbolt 3 connections. Perhaps there’s room for a microSD card reader in there, too.

Punchier processors

Costing what it does, Apple really needs to inject some more power into its 12-inch MacBooks. With the onset of Intel processors with AMD graphics onboard, this is the perfect opportunity for the 12-inch MacBook to get a power boost that wouldn’t impact battery life.

How you ask? Well, we immediately look to these new Intel processors with AMD Vega, discrete-grade graphics on board that is already finding their way to new laptops this year. Such an upgrade would put the MacBook into an entirely new echelon of premium stature.

Then again, seeing as the MacBook has consistently used energy-efficient Intel Core ‘M’ and ‘Y’ series CPUs up to this point, we wouldn’t bank on seeing the hardy graphics power featured in Intel’s ‘G’ series chips. And, since there is no 8th-generation equivalent of the 7th-gen Intel Core m3-7Y32 that the MacBook currently uses, it’s possible for Apple to switch to an i3-8130U.

As for that cheaper 13-inch MacBook that’s been making all the headlines recently, we could see them making an ARM-based MacBook. Recent rumors even suggest that Apple is indeed working on one.

Moreover, a recent news story claimed that Apple was planning to ship a trio of Macs featuring its custom co-processors later this year. These are expected to be similar to the T1 and T2 chips found in the MacBook Pro and iMac Pro, respectively. 

Since the 12-inch MacBook doesn’t have a Touch Bar, it’s safe to assume that if one of these co-processors is implemented, it will be used for the automatic wake and ‘Hey Siri’ functionality presently exclusive to the iMac Pro. 

Stronger audio and video

Speaker performance and webcam quality are two corners that Apple obviously cut through in crafting the MacBook. With the MacBook 2018, this needs to stop. Tinny speakers and a sub-HD webcam for a laptop this expensive simply isn’t acceptable.

Simply bump the webcam up to 1080p FaceTime HD befitting of its price tag, and problem solved. The speakers, however, is a problem we don’t necessarily have a solution for. Supporting the speakers with down-throwing bass modules in the base might work?

iOS apps on MacBook

Now that it’s been talked about for so long, the idea of iOS apps on macOS has grown on us. We’re excited by the prospect of continuing work from our phones straight away on our laptops – or polishing off that top score upon sitting down at the desk.

And, at WWDC this year, Apple detailed which apps are going to be making the move. While you won’t be getting any third-party apps, macOS Mojave will be getting core apps like News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home.

If you’re looking for your favorite third-party iOS apps, however, you’ll be waiting until at least 2019.




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