July 12 Update: Apple's 2018 MacBook Pros, are finally official.
We've seen a lot of hope out there, as it pertains to Apple fixing the issues plaguing its MacBook Pro line. Not only does the lack of a USB Type-A port mean many users are pushed to carry adapters everywhere, living a dongle-based lifestyle, but the butterfly-switch key design has led to many complaints, repairs and even a class-action lawsuit.
And now that Apple's just revealed its latest MacBook Pros, the company has clearly not forgotten about its laptops. But not everything has been updated. So, what do we want next? Are there any signs of important change on the horizon for Apple's MacBook Pros? Here's what we're seeing:
MORE: Hey, Apple: Fix Your Crappy Keyboards or I'm Switching to Windows
What about the keyboard?
The often-lamented butterfly switches in the keys of Apple's MacBook Pros (and its other MacBooks) have been criticized as fragile, and many have complained of having to press multiple times to register key strokes. While many (myself included) hope Apple changes their key design soon -- the third generation keyboard announced in July only makes it quieter -- nothing's for sure.
Instead, what we do know is that Apple's experimenting with new designs. A patent published in March shows Apple looking towards a crumb-resistant keyboard, which could save MacBook Pro owners from blowing air at their space bar, trying to make it work again.
MORE: Which MacBook Should You Buy? MacBook vs. Air vs. Pro
Design: It's time for less bezel
As we noted in our best and worst brands report, Apple's MacBook designs (which stayed the same with the July 2018 update) are starting to get stale. Notebooks like the Dell XPS 13 show that you can create a machine with little to no bezel around the display, giving you a big screen in a compact design. The trade-off is that the webcam looks up your nose, but we've seen other systems shrink the bezels while still keep the webcam in the right spot.
A new rumor suggests we might be exclaiming "It's alive!" when the new MacBook Pro is unveiled, as a newly publicized patent shows reference to a "Living Hinge." The part would allow for the display part to be integrated into the rest of the laptop, so the entire machine is one piece of metal. We wouldn't bet our money that this feature will arrive in any MacBooks announced this year, but it's interesting to see what Apple's investigating.
Release date: Next year
At this point — with new MacBook Pros revealed in July 2018 — we're not expecting an update to the MacBook Pro until 2019.
Additional reporting provided by Andrew E. Freedman.
