According to the rumor mill, Apple will announce a new MacBook Air style laptop next week.

I’ve been rocking a 2013 MacBook Pro with retina since that machine released and was the best Mac laptops. But, as I wrote on Monday, that machine is getting a little long in the tooth.  I’ve been holding off on the upgrade because while my mac is slowing down, it still works – and works well.   

I have been saving up for a new iMac (which is also rumored to get an update next week) for a while.  I’ve had the money to pull the trigger, and I might, but I also might be interested in this new laptop that’s coming out.  

Here’s why-

Price

The main reason I haven’t upgraded my MacBook yet is price.  My MacBook Pro wasn’t cheap when I bought it, but the laptops that are currently out, are still so expensive.  There’s about a $400 price difference in the MacBook Pro I bought in 2013 and a similar system now.  

I’ve wanted the 12 inch MacBook since it was announced, but the base price of $1200 for a machine that runs on a chip that is barely faster than my current machine. That’s not to say that specs are the end all be all, but you’d be trading down in speed if you wanted that slim form factor.

Meanwhile, the Pros have pretty hefty specs in a smaller volume body, and with them comes the Touch Bar.  The Touch Bar has been an interesting addition that isn’t really needed to get work done, but is it really needed?  It hasn’t done much but run up the price.

If Apple finds a way to lower the cost, these laptops will fly off the shelves.  I don’t know if they will be able to really do that with this product though.  So maybe this product helps push the price of the MacBook down, and this laptop takes its place in the line-up.

You could get the non-touch bar MacBook Pro, but it too is still so expensive for a comparable system. The base model is the same price as the 12 inch MacBook but with much less storage space.  So you’d have to choose between size and space.

The MacBook Air currently runs for $999.  It has a seen a spec bump but no redesign in years, yet it still sales better than most the other systems.  When the MacBook Air got its first redesign it also received a price drop. It really hit the mainstream after that. 

If Apple wants to do that again, they need to get the price down.  

Design

I don’t think they need to do anything too crazy with this laptop.  If they just increase the size of the MacBook I think they’d be good design wise.  

The rumors are saying that the screen is a 13 inch Retina display, which the Air currently lacks.  This alone would please a number of Apple fans waiting for a new version of the Air.  I wouldn’t expect a new screen technology, nor would I expect things like True Tone or Pro Motion yet.  Those things inflate the price which would defeat the purpose of this laptop.  

Keep it simple, light, and skinny enough to put a solid chip in there.  

If Apple keeps the wedge shape and even the size of the previous Air but updated the internals to a new Intel chip, plus the extra stuff inside that Apple’s been adding to their macs to help with security and “Hey Siri” support it, plus a great screen, they’d have a great system on their hands.

Keyboard

I haven’t typed on one of the butterfly keyboards that Apple’s included on the MacBook and MacBook Pros for longer than a few minutes at an Apple store, so I can’t really give my opinion on it.  It seems like with version 3 they finally improved it enough that they aren’t breaking, nor are they making headlines about repairability.  

I know people don’t love the keyboard as it is, but I don’t see Apple turning back at this point.  This is the keyboard they are moving forward with until the next thing.  I hope you weren’t waiting for a return to the old style.  If you were you might just go ahead and buy the current Air before they get updated.

I don’t think that we’ll see the Touch Bar on this new machine or the 12 inch MacBooks this year.  Apple will probably keep that for the high end pros still, as the it will only bring up the price which is what they are trying to keep down.

But the rumors do say that there will be a TouchID sensor though…

Security

I doubt that we are lucky enough to get FaceID on a this years MacBooks.  This really seems like a feature that would make its appearance on a Pro level system, and those have been updated in the past year.  FaceID would be a great feature to have on the Mac eventually though.

But TouchID has been on the pro systems for a few years now so it’s time for it to make it’s way through the rest of the line.  TouchID will be great for now, but FaceID will be lingering over them like the watchful eye it is.  

Will TouchID make it to the 12 inch MacBook?  It would be nice.  And if they aren’t including FaceID are they going to make a magic keyboard with a TouchID sensor?

Processor

This could be the most interesting announcement of this device – which processor will they use?

The 12 inch MacBook has a smaller and slower processor that currently doesn’t need a fan.  The MacBook Pros have a larger and faster chip but it needs a fan to keep it from burning up.

Will Apple keep the 12 inches form factor and slower chip? I’d think they’d go middle of the road here and get a serviceable processor that needs a fan, but one that might not be as powerful as the Pro unit.  It could be a great middle of the road laptop, one that fills a spot in the line-up that is currently vacant.

Wrap Up

What I imagine gets announced next week is a larger 12 inch MacBook with MacBook Air like processors, Touch ID, and a much better display.

If they can keep the price down low, or even push one of their other laptops to a lower price point, I think they’ll have a winner on their hands.  It could cause me to pause on buying that iMac (which will hopefully get updated as well next week.)

Check back after the event to see what gets announced and what I end up buying.

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