The New MacBook Design
By: Robert C.
Tags: Tech, Business, Apple, Science, Technology

The New MacBook Design

Rumors and leaks regarding some new redesigned Macs

Rendering of what the new redesigned Mac could look like

The echo of previously released Macs is still crushing through the Air of online media and tech enthusiasts. Apple has accomplished something extraordinary with their in-house built CPU’s for their laptops, and desktops.

So, the expectation, as well as the anticipation of what may come next year or and beyond, are heating up.

On the 2nd of December, a couple of portals have shared, now well-known predictions, about the grand arrival of a redesigned 14-inch MacBook Pro and, of course, the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Both of these devices should come with the new star on the market, the M1 chip.

Will it be the next edition M2, or will they stick to the M1 with small improvements such as unified memory, more GPU or CPU cores… it remains to be seen.

What is most definitely certain is there will be a spec bump. According to Twitter leaker L0vetodream, we can expect some more power coming from Intel-based Macs. In this case, we can assume this also includes AMD GPUs. None of this is confirmed but I think we can all agree that adding an Intel CPU to a newly designed MacBook would be absurd.

There is a possibility that the next 14-inch MacBook could come as a replacement for the 13-inch MacBook Pro’s.

This would mean the, just released, first M1 13-inch MacBook Pro would be the first and last MacBook 13-inch to come with Apple’s new Silicon. If you recall, something similar has already happened with the previous 15-inch version, it was replaced by the 16-inch MacBook. This move from 13 inches to 14 may be the logical next step. It could mean this MacBook will retain more or less the same form factor, but get smaller bezels, therefore increasing the display by 1 inch. This provides a more immersive experience without affecting the physical size of the computer itself.

At the moment, it’s circulating that the MacBook Pro models are going to come in 14 and 16-inch variants, while the MacBook Air will remain its 13-inch form factor.

According to popular analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, Mini LED will become the new standard for the MacBook Pro models. Kuo also believes that Apple will be able to offset the higher cost of using Mini LED panels in Mac devices because the cost of Apple Silicon chips is significantly lower than that of Intel processors.

Kuo also says this new Mac will get a whole new design. According to him, we’ll get smaller bezels, and an overall sleeker look, similar to the current Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro. As for the battery, we can expect a bigger battery life of around 22 hours.

It’s also likely Apple will continue using the magic keyboard, this would allow for each key to have 1mm of travel and is thought to be more resilient than its predecessor, the butterfly keyboard.

Butterfly switches (left) vs Magic Keyboard switches (right)

Each device with a Magic Keyboard has keys that are spaced slightly further apart for better ergonomics. There is also a distinctive more clicky feel to the keyboard and it is not as loud as the butterfly switches.

It’s very likely Apple will introduce three “studio-grade” microphones for better capture without the need for an external mic.

The price is expected to stay at $1299 for the 14-inch model when it launches. Kuo says that Apple Silicon chips might make future MacBooks more expensive. However, this was not the case with the first wave of Apple Silicon Macs.