Apple’s News: 2018 Entry-Level MacBook Review

October Event 2018 — Apple [Video]

Video uploaded by Apple on October 31, 2018

Entry-Level MacBook Review : Apple is Rolling Out a New Model

With summer 2018 coming to an end, Apple fans are getting more and more excited for the upcoming Apple event. This year the conference is scheduled for early September but the official invitations are expected to go out at the end of August.

This year, as industry sources inform, Apple is rolling out its first entry-level MacBook, powered by Intel’s 14nm Kaby Lake processor. Price will not exceed $1,200 and Apple plans to ship eight million units in 2018. This will definitely undermine the positions of other laptop makers.

They didn’t expect the inexpensive 13-inch MacBook until mid 2019, because that was the deadline Intel set for their 10nm chips to enter the market. It seems like the leading chip maker ran into serious problems with them. We promise to look into the matter and tell our readers what’s going on. Meanwhile, the general opinion was that Apple would postpone the release due to delays in the supply chain.

Apple on the other hand, decided not to wait and redesigned the MacBooks to adopt the improved 14nm Kaby Lake processors! Specifically, the 8th generation of Kaby Lake R for laptops. The nominal clock speed of the quad-core chip varies from 1.20 to 1.70 GHz while the overclock speed can reach 3.60 to 4.20 GHz. Judging by the CPU specifications, the entry-level MacBook will be able to support up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and 4K video resolution. Maximal resolution via HDMI 1.4 is 4096×2304. The question that still remains is whether or not the entry-level MacBook is going to feature the 4K display. The fact is that the Intel build-in graphics can digest hi-res videos. Perhaps, users will be able to plug their laptops into a 4K external display or TV.

If rumors are true, the entry-level MacBook will be accompanied by the 6.1-inch iPhone 9 – the budget iteration of the latest iPhones that came out with LCD display. Apple is also going to unveil two older iPhones: one featuring a 5.8-inch OLED display, and one with a 6.5-inch OLED display. The iPhones will be released with an AirPower wireless charger. Since the source also put a price for it (US$161-193), they are likely to be available separately.

The iPad family already lists the educational entry-level iPad that was introduced this spring, so Apple is going to focus on the iPad Pro yearly upgrade. We are waiting for the two new iPad Pros: a 12.9-inch one and an 11-inch one. If we trust the leaks, both tablets will feature a new 18W USB Type-C power adapter for a faster charge. Obviously, the 11-inch iPad Pro will replace the existing 10.5-inch Apple tablet. Toward the end of the year, the tablet lineup is going to include an ultra-thin 12.9-inch and 11-inch iPad Pro, a 9.7-inch educational iPad and an un-upgraded and abandoned 7.9-inch iPad mini 4.

All in all, Apple is going to reshape the laptop market. You can buy a decent 15-inch Windows-based laptop for about one thousand dollars. The one major downside is that it will have Windows 10 OS with its abrupt and illogical upgrades, as well as lack of an ecosystem. The choice is yours. I, on the other hand will put my money where my mouth is and choose a MacBook.

Links

• Digitimes: $1200 13-inch ‘entry-level’ MacBook in September, $160 AirPower, no new iPad mini – 9to5Mac.
• Where to Trade In your MacBook for Top Dollar Online If You Don’t Need It Anymore
• Everything About Apple’s Products – The complete guide to all Apple consumer electronic products, including technical specifications, identifiers and other valuable information.