Bloomberg Technology: What to expect at Apple’s Developers Conference.
Apple is expected to announce a refresh for the notebook lineup at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5, 2017. New versions of the MacBook and MacBook Pro are expected to be announced, and Apple is also considering updating the MacBook Air, its most affordable notebook.
Apple has not updated its MacBook Air since March of 2015 and has been suspected of phasing out the MacBook Air in favor of the MacBook and the MacBook Pro, which are now thinner than the “Air” model. However, sales of the MacBook Air remain strong because it it the lowest cost Mac notebook available. The MacBook Air is still about three times the cost of the lowest cost Windows notebook computers.
The MacBook Pro, which was updated in October 2016 with a slimmer design and a Touch Bar, was a yawner. Now the MacBook Pro is expected to be updated with a faster Kaby Lake processor, replacing the Skylake processors in the current machines. No visible external changes are expected.
Apple’s MacBook, which was updated in April of 2016, will include an updated processor, expected to be a Kaby Lake processor.
While lagging in true innovation, Apple has been working on a custom-designed ARM chip that could handle low power features in the MacBook Pro, but the chip may not be ready for the June MacBook Pro refresh.
Apple’s June 5 keynote, is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. PT.
Apple, which probably should have led innovation in the home automation category, might announce a new Siri speaker-based stand alone device to attempt to play catch up to Amazon’s Echo and Google Home devices.
The announcement of a 10.5-inch iPad Pro with slimmer bezels for a near edge-to-edge design is also anticipated.
Today’s report makes no mention of the iMac or Mac mini, two of Apple’s desktop machines that have not been updated in some time. It has been more than 580 days since the iMac was last updated in October of 2015, and more than 940 days since the Mac mini was updated in October of 2014.
Apple has said it has updated iMacs in the works, but it is not clear when the machines will debut.
Sept. 23, 2016 — Apple is pressing ahead with the development of an Echo-like smart-home device based on the Siri voice assistant, according to people familiar with the matter. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has more on “Bloomberg Markets.”