Apple has quite a lot to live up if it decides to release a MacBook Pro for 2018, both in terms of fan expectations and surpassing its previous endeavors.
When you consider the rumors about the cheaper MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook arriving sometime this year, the MacBook Pro can’t be that far off. Especially when you consider that it’s been nearly two years since the MacBook Pro was reintroduced with Thunderbolt 3 and an OLED Touch Bar, too – Apple has had plenty of time to mess around with the hardware
So, what all do we know about the 2018 MacBook Pro, and what new features do we hope it will feature? We can’t say that we have any official info, but we can put our Apple expertise to use and make some educated guesses based on past releases and what we’ve heard through the grapevine. Plus, we can list what we want to see if a new MacBook Pro does release in 2018.
Make sure you bookmark this page to get all of the latest news and rumors about the MacBook Pro 2018 model as they come in.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Apple’s most powerful 2018 laptop
- When is it out? June 2018 at the earliest?
- What will it cost? Hopefully as much as current models
MacBook Pro 2018 release date
The current spate of rumors and leaks, unfortunately, give no indication as to exactly when the MacBook Pro 2018 release date will be. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate based on previous MacBook Pro releases.
Looking back at 2017, Apple surprised us with a MacBook Pro release in June, almost immediately following its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that year. The reason for the surprise is how close this release came following the previous.
We wouldn’t expect much about the MacBook Pro price to change year over year.
The year before that, in October 2016, Apple released the first MacBook Pro to get a major redesign, which saw the debut of the Touch Bar and the T1 co-processor which powers it.
Prior to that, the MacBook Pro was receiving piecemeal updates since the last major revision of 2012, also released just after Apple’s June WWDC of that year.
So, that leaves us with the most likely release window for the 2018 MacBook Pro being June, likely directly following a WWDC 2018 announcement. That would be a proper annualized release, and give enough time for Apple to more thoroughly address bugbears that have persisted in its MacBook Pro line since the 2016 model.
If Apple misses that date, the next likely debut window is late 2018, most likely before November and therefore ahead of the Christmas and holiday shopping rush. We’ll look out for new rumors and update this article as soon as the MacBook Pro 2018 release date begins to grow clearer.
MacBook Pro 2018 price
Again, none of the rumors or leaks regarding a MacBook Pro so far have made any mention of the possible pricing, but this isn’t terribly surprising. Those bits of information don’t tend to drop until we get closer to an expected release date.
That said, we wouldn’t expect much about the MacBook Pro price to change year over year. Apple has already hit a sweet spot of prices for its various MacBook Pro models, starting at $1,299, £1,249 or AU$1,899, for one without the Touch Bar.
You can probably bet on Apple doubling down on its co-processor strategy this year.
From there, to purchase a Touch Bar model will increase the price to $1,799, £1,749 or AU$2,699. Of course, the 15-inch models (all with Touch Bar) pump up the price even further.
If pricing were to change this year, we’d wager that Apple would simply make room for that rumored 13-inch, entry-level MacBook by upping the hardware inside the low-end MacBook Pro and hiking up the price. Otherwise, Apple could simply wipe out the Touch Bar-free model and reserve the ‘Pro’ moniker for laptops with the Touch Bar.
We’ll look out for new rumors and update this article as soon as the MacBook Pro 2018 price begins to grow clearer.
What we want to see in MacBook Pro 2018
Of course, this lack of any truly substantial information about the forthcoming 2018 MacBook Pro gives us plenty of room to draft up a wishlist.
So, here’s what we want to see from a MacBook Pro for 2018.
Longer battery life
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Apple’s laptops have always been notable for their lasting power, but the MacBook Pro has struggled to uphold that standard in recent years. For instance, the most recent MacBook Pro model lasted just 6 hours and 37 minutes. That’s a far cry from models of years previous and short of Apple’s own claim of 10 hours.
So, we’d like to see the rumored performance enhancements of the next macOS coupled with an expansion of the co-processor design inside the MacBook Pro to give its battery life the boost it desperately needs.
More power across all models
With the onset of Intel processors with AMD graphics onboard, we think this is the perfect opportunity for the smaller MacBook Pro models to get a power boost. For too long have 13-inch MacBook Pro models been relegated to Intel’s integrated graphics, which doesn’t do much to back up that ‘Pro’ moniker.
In working with both AMD and Intel, it’s easy to theorize that the next MacBook Pro would be able to better render video and photo work more readily with AMD Vega graphics on board. Better yet, such a processor might be able to better handle sharper screen resolutions with less of a battery draw.
More ports, and a new MagSafe charger
These are admittedly ‘pie in the sky’ requests, but Apple’s MagSafe power adaptor was beloved for a reason, and charging via USB-C is a poor replacement for it. It’s hard to believe that there isn’t room for such a dedicated port, and it truly can be a laptop (and person!) life saver.
Plus, the move to solely Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports has left people still using SD cards in a lurch. The next MacBook Pro would do well to avoid trying to push the industry too far, too fast – especially when such rapid change may not be necessary.
If Apple were to make just these two wishes true, the MacBook Pro would be in a fantastic position.
A better keyboard
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Unexpectedly, when the MacBook Pro was refreshed in 2016, we didn’t hate its implementation of Apple’s butterfly mechanized key switches. The keyboard was a massive step up from that of what was then the 12-inch MacBook, which would feature more tactile inputs despite having the same amount of travel.
This was a design decision that went on to inspire the 2017 MacBook. It’s not clear how the MacBook Pro’s keyboard could be further enhanced, though ‘sticky’ keys have admittedly been a problem for the Cupertino-born professional laptop.
However, there’s a rumor that the Cupertino-based tech behemoth is considering implementing a virtual touch-screen keyboard with haptic feedback. Who knows if this would make it into the MacBook Pro 2018, but it would solve some of the sticky key issues.
Apple has also addressed some keyboard concerns with a recently filed patent that describes some kind of ‘guard structure’ to help prevent crumbs and spills from sneaking under the keys.. Should it actually come to fruition, we would appreciate no longer having to worry about nothing happening when we press the spacebar.
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