Apple might launch new MacBooks next month, and yes, you should wait before you buy
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple might thoroughly update its laptop lineup at this year's WWDC conference in June, with new versions of MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
While this is obviously not official news — and Apple does not typically launch hardware at WWDC — these laptops are due for an update (each for its own reason), and we wouldn't be very surprised if new MacBooks actually do arrive next month.
But that begs the question: if you're looking to buy a laptop from Apple now, should you wait until June 5?
The short version is yes. Absolutely yes.
The MacBook Air is ancient, the MacBook Pro needs more RAM, and the MacBook needs a faster processor
The slightly longer version is also yes, because Apple's laptop lineup is shoddy right now, with basically every product category suffering from some sort of flaw. The MacBook Pro is expensive, while still lagging behind many modern laptops in terms of specs. The MacBook Air hasn't been updated since forever (okay, since 2015), and the 12-inch MacBook is also due for an update, and this might actually be a very important one.
According to Bloomberg, The MacBook Pro will get a faster, Kaby Lake processor. It's probably not going to make an enormous difference in terms of performance, but it will finally marry Apple's most powerful laptop with Intel's latest processors (current MacBook Pro models have the previous generation SkyLake processors). And while this report doesn't mention it, previous rumors pointed to Apple increasing the maximum memory capacity for the Pro from 16 to 32GB of RAM, which is very helpful for professional users.
The MacBook Air was last updated in 2015. It's still very competitively priced at $999, but its internals are old, and if Apple finally updated it, the Air could easily become the best buy choice in Apple's laptop lineup. Unfortunately, the report merely says Apple is "considering" an upgrade to the Air due to "surprisingly strong" sales.
Finally, the 12-inch MacBook is about a year old at this point. The report doesn't have any details beyond saying it will receive a faster Intel chip. But this could make a big difference, as MacBook's biggest drawback (besides lack of ports) is its puny Intel Core m3 processor (the device can be configured with a somewhat more powerful Intel Core m7 processor), which is simply not powerful enough for many users. Any sort of upgrade would help here, but if the MacBook received one of Intel's fancy new Kaby Lake, low-power CPUs, that could make Apple's smallest laptop a viable option for some pros.
In any case, June 5 is just a couple of weeks away. Unless you absolutely must have a new MacBook now, it's prudent to wait.
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
