Apple to Update Its Macbook Lineup Next Month

Apple generally releases new versions of operating systems and software at its WWDC every year. Yet this time the company is said to introduce upgraded hardware.

Apple Inc. is planning to announce an update to its laptop lineup at the WWDC in June 5, half a year after the release of new MacBook Pro, according to a Bloomberg report. Citing people familiar with the matter, the report said the updates involve three laptops (MacBook Pro, MacBook and MacBook Air) and focus on the processor.

The updated MacBook Pro will be equipped with Kaby Lake, Intel’s latest and 7th generation of processor architecture released last year. The new version of the 12-inch MacBook will get a faster Intel chip (not sure it will be Kaby Lake or not), and the company has also considered updating the aging 13-inch MacBook Air with a new processor, considering that the sales of this cheapest laptop remain strong.

Both Apple and Intel have not made a comment on the report so far.

The new MacBook Pro released last year was criticized for using Intel’s previous generation Skylake architecture. Apple later explained that’s because Kaby Lake was not in mass production when they designed the MacBook Pro. If it bumps up to Kaby Lake, the laptop will see better performance and might see longer battery life.

Mostly differ in internal architecture, the updated MacBook Pro is likely to last last year’s design, including compact appearance, Type-C connector, Touch Bar, etc.

The laptop lineup takes up 11 percent of Apple’s $216 billion in annual sales, while the iPhone accounts for almost two third of the total. Macbook products had not big updates in recent years. Apple last updated the 12-inch MacBook in the spring of 2016 with a rose gold color option, while the MacBook Air has not received a speed boost since 2015. The rumor has lasted for long that Apple planed to drop this line.

Earlier this year, Apple pledged to release major upgrades to the Mac Pro and iMac with better specifications for expert users in the future. Now the upcoming updates seem to demonstrate the company’s attitude to MacBook products.

Predictably, part of the motivation of this update is to help offset the declining iPad sales and the competition from Microsoft’s Surface laptop. Microsoft’s Surface is noted to be thinner and faster than MacBook Air/Pro and offer superior battery life, and it is a viable alternative to the MacBook Air. Whether the refreshing MacBook lineup could attract customers from the Surface camp?That remains to be seem.

Are you looking forward to the upgraded Macbook models to debut in early June?