We’ve been hearing for a long time now that a new high-end MacBook Ultra model with a touchscreen will get a significant redesign with a slimmer form factor. The new design appeared to be one of the things that would differentiate the high-end model from the MacBook Pro.
However, a report yesterday said that an entry-level MacBook Pro set for release early next year will have a new design in line with that of the Ultra …
As things stand, the MacBook Pro is the most expensive laptop in Apple’s range – which now comprises the low-end MacBook Neo, mid-range MacBook Air, and high-end MacBook Pro.
We’re expecting this to change when an all-new MacBook Ultra launches later this year. This will reportedly have four features differentiating it from the MacBook Pro:
- OLED screen
- Touchscreen
- Dynamic Island
- Lighter & thinner form factor
However, a Bloomberg report suggests that the latter point of difference may not last for long.
Apple is also preparing a revamped entry-level MacBook Pro, code-named K104, for as early as the first half of next year. The 14-inch laptop will adopt a new design in line with what Apple is preparing for higher-end MacBooks with touch screens.
It’s surprising in one way
The report comes as a surprise in one way. The MacBook Pro doesn’t get design upgrades very often, and Apple typically makes a big deal of them. If an all-new MacBook Ultra model is indeed lighter and slimmer than the MacBook Pro, you’d expect Apple to want to retain this as a point of differentiation.
The idea that an entry-level MacBook Pro could get the same or similar design upgrade so soon after the launch of the MacBook Ultra seems surprising.
But not in another
While many who are loyal to the Mac for a variety of reasons, it’s still the case that Apple isn’t operating in a vacuum. If other laptop brands are producing sleeker models at a similar price point to an entry-level MacBook Pro, Apple would be criticised for retaining a chunkier design. It’s inevitable that it would have to update the design language of the MacBook Pro at some point.
Any surprise, then, is not at this happening at all but rather that it might happen so quickly. But there are two other points to consider.
First, Apple isn’t just hoping to persuade MacBook Pro owners to upgrade to the Ultra. It knows many Mac users aren’t interested in a touchscreen, and may not be swayed by an OLED screen. It still hopes that owners of older MacBook Pro models will upgrade to newer ones, and a redesign will undoubtedly drive some of these sales.
Second, the report doesn’t specifically say that the entry-level MacBook Pro will have the same design as the Ultra. It only says that the design will be “in line” with this. It may well see a new MacBook Pro design that sits somewhere between the existing models and a super sleek MacBook Ultra.
Of course, we don’t know whether the report is accurate, but it does at least seem plausible for these reasons.
What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments.
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