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New MacBook: What It Could Mean for Future Products

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Apple announced a new MacBook earlier this month at its Apple Watch event, but instead of giving it the “Pro” or “Air” suffix, the company is simply just calling it the new “MacBook.” Here’s what the new MacBook could mean for future MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models.

While the all-new MacBook isn’t a MacBook Air replacement, it definitely has the MacBook Air feel to it, as Apple CEO Tim Cook says that it’s “the most extreme and efficient notebook we have ever created.” The new MacBook weighs just two pounds and is only 13.1mm thin at its thickest point, which is 24% thinner than the 11-inch MacBook Air.

As rumors have been predicting, this new MacBook comes with a 12-inch display and is equipped with a Retina-quality resolution of 2304 x 1440, making this the first ultra-thin MacBook to sport a Retina display.

new MacBook

The new machine also has an all-new keyboard, which is 40% thinner than the old style, but the key caps themselves are 17% larger. It’s a better-built keyboard overall, though, with stainless steel dome switches instead of silicone (these are the parts under the keys). Plus, each key has it’s own backlight instead of a general set of LEDs lighting up the whole keyboard. This makes for a more even application of light across the keyboard.

The trackpad received an upgrade as well. It’s still the same glass material, but it’s now pressure sensitive and you can click it anywhere, instead of just from one side like previous trackpads. The pressure sensitivity is used for what Apple is calling “force clicks,” which will allows you to press hard on an address in the Mail app to get a location (for example). You can also use force clicks in Finder to see a preview of whatever is inside a folder.

On the inside, the new MacBook is rocking a fanless design, which is the first MacBook ever to do that. This means that noise levels will be pretty much nonexistent. It’s also rocking Intel’s new Core M processors, which only uses 5 watts of power. Compared to other processors currently on the market, 5 watts is incredibly low and Apple says that you’ll be able to fit in 9 hours of web browsing with the new MacBook.

new MacBook

Complete specs include a 1.1GHz Intel Core M processor, 8GB of memory, 256GB of flash storage, and Intel HD Graphics 5300. As for ports, the new MacBook only has a headphone jack and one Type-C connector, which supports USB, DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA. Plugging in multiple things to your new MacBook would require an adapter — a $79 accessory that you’d have to tack on to the already $1,299 purchase.

These massive changes could give us a hint about the future of the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, and if you’re in the market for a new MacBook Pro and like the fact that it has multiple ports, now might be the best time to buy.

Of course, I’m not saying that all of these changes will eventually come to the MacBook Pro, but it seems likely that Apple is moving in that direction. This means that if you’re wanting to buy a MacBook Pro, it might best to do it before the next MacBook Pro comes along, because it could see a drastic change that more closely resembles the new MacBook.

The new MacBook will release on April 10, complete with a 1.1GHz Intel Core M processor, 8GB of memory, 256GB of flash storage, and Intel HD Graphics 5300. It will come in silver, space gray, and gold. Prices start at $1,299 for the entry-level model with an upgrade to a 1.2GHz processor and 512GB of storage costing $1,599.

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