MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.
Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1525170
Kuo doesn’t specify which MacBooks will get the new camera modules, but if past trends continue, they’re likely earmarked for the M5 MacBook Pro. That’s the model that Gurman says Apple is focusing on for a thinner design, which makes sense in light of the M4 iPad Pro versus the M2 iPad Air. It seems clear that Apple is equating extreme thinness with its highest-end products. However, unlike the 2008 MacBook Air, which kicked off Apple’s original era of “thinnovation,” the M4 iPad Pro delivers top-tier performance despite its ultra-thin profile. In 2008, it wasn’t realistically possible for Apple to achieve both of these things at the same time, so the original MacBook Air ended up being more of an “executive” laptop that was fine for casual work but woefully underpowered for its $1,799 starting price (which went up to $2,799 if you wanted an SSD, which was a desirable upgrade if you were buying a machine like this). Of course, technology has changed a lot in the past 16 years, and Apple’s M4 iPad Pro proves it’s no longer necessary to sacrifice performance for portability. That’s probably part of why it made the iPad Pro its first “impossibly thin” tablet — to make it evident that the two are no longer mutually exclusive. A similarly thin M5 MacBook Pro could prove the same for Apple’s MacBook lineup. That doesn’t mean Apple won’t also position its thinnest devices as higher-end luxury products. The so-called “iPhone 17 Slim” remains an open question, as current rumors suggest it will be a pricier alternative to the iPhone 17 Pro, with lower specs. Still, that flies in the face of the M4 iPad Pro and rumored ultrathin MacBook Pro, so we’ll have to reserve judgment until we see what Apple does here.