If the interactive Touch Bar wasn't enough to get you to buy a new MacBook, and reports of keyboard frustrations have left you waiting for something new, you're probably wondering how Apple plans to sweeten its flagship laptop.
Here's what we're seeing from the MacBook rumor mill, including signs of an heir to the Air.
What’s up with the MacBook Air?
Apple gave the MacBook Air a modest upgrade in 2017, slightly bumping up the speed of its CPUs, and leading some to think that — after 10 years — time has run out on the laptop. A report suggests that Apple isn't done with the 13-inch laptop form factor, though, and that it will release a 13-inch notebook in the second half of 2018 featuring an "entry-level" price.
Will Apple shake up the MacBook lineup?
That new 13-inch MacBook may be the only major change we see in 2018. While the typically-reliable Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that a 2017 15-inch MacBook will likely turn heads as "the most significantly redesigned product" of that year, that report didn't come to pass, and a new report from DigiTimes suggests the MacBook Pro won't receive any major changes this year.
When will MacBooks catch up to PC laptops and get 8th Gen Intel CPUs?
After Apple lagged behind PC laptop makers, taking more time to bring 7th Gen Kaby Lake CPUs to its notebooks, the company's found itself trailing again with the implementation of Intel's 8th Gen CPUs. If the report of Apple not giving the MacBook Pro any major revisions is accurate, it would make sense that the Cupertino-based company give its Pro-level laptops new processors that would allow them to compete with PCs.
What about Apple's own chips?
Reports suggest that Apple will include its T-series co-processors in its new laptops (and desktops) this year. These control security, the Touch Bar and Touch ID already, but it's possible they'll get more important.
Will Apple finally offer more memory?
Video editors and other RAM-hungry users may have left 2017 disappointed that reports of a 32GB RAM option in the MacBook Pro failed to pan out. But, since those same rumors posited that the 12-inch MacBook would get 16GB of RAM as an option (which came true), there is reason to hold out hope, as there may have just been a delay.
