Apple recently announced the new MacBook, which seems to suggest that the company is planning on consolidating the MacBook line.
Currently, the company offers three MacBook models: the newest MacBook, the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. But could we possibly see the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro disappear?
It is highly likely that there will be some level of consolidation within the next year. The MacBook Air was previously hailed as the company's thinnest laptop — touted for its portability and usefulness in everyday tasks like word processing and browsing the Web.
However, the new MacBook is even thinner and lighter than the MacBook Air, making it the better option for those who need an ultra-portable computer. That will likely spell the end of the MacBook Air.
But the new MacBook also lacks something many users need from their computer — more power. The new laptop will be less powerful than the MacBook Air because of the rather low-power processor that Apple has included in its design.
The fact that Apple is introducing more options in the MacBook Pro line also points toward the end of the MacBook Air. Now that Apple has slimmed up the MacBook Pro by removing the optical drive, and is offering the laptop in a 13-inch model the MacBook Air seems rather obsolete. For those in need of more power than the new MacBook can offer, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is a great option — more powerful and still very portable.
If the MacBook Air is discontinued, then the MacBook line would mirror the Mac desktop line. The MacBook would be the iMac of laptops, and the MacBook Pro would be the laptop version of the Mac Pro.
So then, what is Apple's reasoning for keeping the MacBook Air this year, and even updating the computer? The fact that the new MacBook is so far ahead of its time probably has something to do with that.
Apple is clearly going wireless. It's only offering a single USB-C port in the new MacBook, which is also used for charging. Unfortunately for many, the technology just isn't there yet to make that single port enough.
If Apple were to stop offering the MacBook Air this year, users who want portability would have to sacrifice versatility for the ports that come with the computer. The MacBook Air offers two USB 3.0 ports, as well as a Thunderbolt port on top of the MagSafe charging port. Many people still need these options for connecting peripherals, despite the trend of moving to cloud-based apps and services.
The removal of the MacBook Air from Apple's MacBook line is imminent. The MacBook Pro — perhaps not.
