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Report: Apple will dig into its past with new MacBook Air and Mac Mini models
A new report claims Apple Inc. is digging into its past for future products in the form of a new low-cost Mac Mini desktop and MacBook Air laptop as it apparently seeks to offer products to more price-conscious consumers.
Bloomberg, quoting people familiar with the plans, today said the new Mac Mini would end a drought of Mac computers that have limited sales of the company’s longest-running line of devices. As for the laptop, it’s claimed to be similar to the current MacBook Air but will include thinner bezels and an upgraded Retina screen.
The return to refreshing older products is an interesting move by Apple given that it has mostly ignored both products for a number of years.
The MacBook Air was initially launched to great fanfare by Steve Jobs back in 2008 but has seemingly been ignored in recent years as Apple has focused on its even thinner and superior revised MacBook and MacBook Pro lines. The current MacBook Air design dates to 2013, and although Apple did offer internal updates in 2015 and later 2017, virtually nothing has changed with the look of the device.
The Mac Mini has been unloved by Apple even longer than the MacBook Air, with its current form factor dating from 2010. That’s virtually ancient in computer terms and while its internals have, like the Air, received a number of upgrades over the years, the last one was in 2014.
The MacBook Air and Mac Mini are both the cheapest laptops and desktop computers in Apple’s lineup, coming in at $999 and $499 respectively. More recent Apple devices have been pricier, such as the base-model MacBook Pro that starts at $1,299. Although $300 may not seem like much, the hardware differences are and a $1,000 price point has always been considered important for price-conscious buyers.
“The new MacBook Air will be geared toward consumers looking for a cheaper Apple computer, but also schools that often buy laptops in bulk,” Bloomberg noted.
When Apple may debut the new devices is open to speculation. Apple is expected to launch its next range of iPhones and iPads in September, but whether the new MacBook Air and Mac Mini will be launched at the same time isn’t clear because Apple has previously released new Macs in October.
Photo: Pixabay
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