According to a research note from reliable uberanalyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities, Apple is working on redesigns of the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air, with key features being mini LED displays and the use of Apple’s internally developed and produced M1 semiconductor chip.
Mark Kolakowski for Investopedia:
Two new MacBook Pro models are in the works to debut in 2021, also offering a new form factor (i.e., new look and size) versus current models. Additionally, per the same report, a “more affordable” version of the MacBook Air is moving toward release in 2022.
In his optimistic scenario, Kuo projects that MacBook shipments may double in three years to as many as 35 million units per year. Meanwhile, Kuo believes that Apple will offset the increased cost of mini-LED displays by using its own M1 chips, which are significantly cheaper than the processors from Intel Corporation that previously have been at the heart of MacBooks.
Macs have been selling well during the COVID-19 pandemic, with revenue up by 28% year over year in the fourth quarter of Apple’s fiscal year 2020, which ended on Sept. 26, 2020. A significant change in form factor (i.e., design) alone may help to boost sales yet more.2 Apple typically changes its form factor every four to four and a half years, and the last change was made in MacBooks that shipped in late 2016.
MacDailyNews Take: We’d love to also see a 16-inch M1-powered MacBook Pro with a mini LED display in 2021, too!
Still waiting for micro-LED to arrive. Hopefully sooner than later. Think of a display with the “blackness” capability of OLED with the lifespan and brightness of CC array LCD. Micro-LED can’t come soon enough.
fully agree. But one shouldn’t underestimate mini-LED as an interim step either. This can reduce screen power consumption significantly, which matters since the screen is eating more energy than the M1 in many cases.