As we enter the second half of January we are all still getting used to the changes implemented on the latest MacBook Pro (or getting used to the touchbar at least).
It was only last October that Apple launched the new, improved MacBook but their pace in developing a new product doesn’t seemed to have slowed. The Apple rumour mill is alive and well and suggests that a new model will be out towards the end of this year!
The new MacBook Pro has been incredibly popular with Lease Loop customers. The 13” Function Key model seems to have taken the place of the MacBook Air which is not surprising considering the improved specs and performance.
Macbooks with the addition of the Touch Bar have also been very well received. Customers who have leased the the Touch Bar model are loving the new functionality and improved performance.
Although our customers are happy with their new Macbook lease, there have been some criticisms in the media that RAM has been limited to 16GB and the new models don’t incorporate the latest Intel processors.
If the word on the grapevine is to be believed users can expect to see the current 15” MacBook Pro range extended to include a 32GB RAM option and Intel’s Kaby Lake Quad Core processors. This is obviously targeted at high end Macbook users and is not likely to appear until late 2017, but this should stop some of the negativity in the media.
There have also been suggestions that Kaby Lake processors will be standard across both the 13 and 15” models but most of the models will remain with a 16GB RAM option. Perhaps of equal interest is that the 12” MacBook will also incorporate the latest processors but also get a significant RAM increase from 8 to 16GB RAM.
Considering the improvements in the MacBook and the fact that the MacBook Pro with Function Keys seems to be replacing the MacBook Air in customers minds, the question is:
“How long will the 13” MacBook Air will last as a product line?”
It lost its smaller sibling, the 11” MacBook Air in October so removing Macbook Air from the product line completely would be a surprise from Apple this year.
The second half of January is starting to show us some significant improvements in terms of delivery times. The MacBook Pro with Function Keys and the standard 13 and 15” models are becoming readily available and even special build MacBook Pros are now down to the typical 10-14 business day lead time that you would expect
Things are certainly looking positive for Apple in 2017 but there are still lots of questions to be answered. The cost of buying a Macbook Pro outright is still high so leasing for a low monthly cost is an attractive proposition.
If you are looking at upgrading and want some advice or have a questions about the new Macbook range then get in touch.
