Updated July 9th: article originally posted July 8th.
In terms of design, Apple’s recent MacBook launches have not pushed the boundaries of what a modern laptop could deliver. While the debut of Apple Silicon saw the raw performance numbers jump up in 2020, the incremental gains have been matched by incremental upgrades to the hardware.
It’s with display technology that Apple has fallen behind the competition in a significant way.
Update: Sunday July 8th: Curiously, it’s only the MacBook range that will have to wait for the new display technology. The iPad Pro tablets are expected to pick up OLED screens when they are updated next year. With Apple’s push to have the iPad/keyboard combination seen as the equivalent of a laptop, perhaps Tim Cook and his team are happy to leave the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air at the back of the queue. Deirdre O’Donnell reports:
“…the first Apple devices to go OLED will be “11-inch and 13-inch OLED iPads”, thereby possibly hinting that the devices will be of the Pro line based on those approximate screen sizes. It is interesting that both variants of this top-end slate are once again tipped to get such a potentially significant screen upgrade, as a similar switch to miniLED has been exclusive to the iPad Pro 12.9 since 2021.”
And if you need another reason to look at Apple’s bias towards the iPad and iPad Pro, think about touchscreens. They are present in tablets by default and are easily found on Windows laptops… On any Mac? Not yet.
It’s taken arguably decades for Apple to bring a 15-inch display to its consumer-focused MacBook Air line following its widespread adoption in the Windows-powered laptop market. Apple’s move to OLED screens can’t come soon enough for many. The technology offers deeper blacks, more vibrant colors, and improved efficiency, and OLED is well-established in Windows laptops.
Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo highlighted Apple’s plans to bring OLED to the MacBook Pro in 2024, alongside a move to the M3 Pro and M3 Max Apple Silicon chipset. Those waiting for a genuine update before upgrading are facing the disappointing news that the new technology is facing a significant delay.
Apple is not expected to launch its first OLED MacBook until 2027, although the technology should appear on the iPad, with the first OLED tablets arriving in 2024.
It’s going to be a long wait for Apple’s faithful laptop crowd.
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