Apple October Announcement: What a Refresh of the Macbooks Could Look Like

Two of Apple’s lines of laptops are due for a facelift and it could come in October. While the MacBook Pro received upgrades earlier in the year, both the standard MacBook and MacBook Air have remained untouched since the summer of 2017, and those improvements were best described as marginal.

So which of the portable computers could see a makeover if Apple hosts another product launch late in the fall? While it’s possible that the Cupertino-based company could bless fans with two updates, a majority of rumors so far have suggested that the Air is next in line for improvements.

The reason fans have grown expectant of another launch? Apple has hosted four October events since the 2012 launch of the iPhones 5. All of them have involved iPads, MacBook Pros, and iMacs.

Leaked renders indicate that the iPad Pro will be seeing a total overhaul, including the incorporation of Face ID and a new, AirPods-like Apple Pencil that links to its iPad automatically. We haven’t seen that kind of leak regarding any new MacBooks yet, but there have been a number of credible rumors indicating the possible specs, features, and even the price.

MacBook Rumors 2018: Budget MacBook Air

Currently, the MacBook Air that was refreshed in 2017 starts at $999. That’s still not bad, considering that’s as much as a baseline iPhone XS. But the slender laptops could get cheaper, which could make them something like an Apple version of the Chromebook.

A new model could potentially be priced as low as $899 or $799, according to a DigiTime report. Markdowns like this could mean Apple wants to market its slender laptop toward students and teachers, much like this year’s 9.7-inch iPad.

MacBook Rumors 2018: Retina Display

The MacBook Pro has come with a high-resolution Retina Display since 2012, while the Air has lacked this feature through out its lifetime. But this could change come October.

A “low-cost” MacBook in the near future would tout a Retina screen, reported Bloomberg. This corroborated the aforementioned DigiTime report stating a high-res display would come alongside a more affordable MacBook Air.

MacBook Rumors 2018: TouchID

A now extinct iPhone feature could also be implemented in the new MacBook Air model. Instead of having a Touch Bar, like the current MacBook Pros and 2017 MacBooks, the Air could have Touch ID capabilities. That’s according to Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo mentioned the existence of a “low-cost” MacBook which lines up with the previous mentions of such a device. Currently, the MacBook Pro has a Touch ID feature but it is incorporated into the Touch Bar. It’s unclear how Touch ID would take shape on the Air if there’s no Touch Bar included, but it seems safe to say that future fans of the laptop might not need to type their passwords anymore.