14 DAY TRIAL // KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has until now offered very reliable information on new Apple products, says the Cupertino-based tech giant is working on a new 13-inch MacBook Air that could launch in the second quarter of the year.
At this point, specifics on this new laptop are rather vague, but the analyst believes that the device is supposed from the very beginning to be more affordable. The current MacBook Air is available for $999, and it appears that Apple wants to cut the price even more, possibly to compete in the lower-premium market.
Thanks to this cheaper laptop, MacBook shipments should increase by as much as 15 percent in 2018, the analyst estimates, especially because it’s expected to launch very soon and thus be on the market for more than six months this year.
Increasing focus on affordable products
Apple seems to be increasingly focused on more affordable products, after the company’s strategy of launching devices with a premium price exclusively appears to be fading out.
The iPhone X launched last September was the most expensive iPhone ever released, with pricing beginning at $999 for the 64 GB storage version. Sales have until now been well below expectations, and many believe the high price tag was one of the reasons customers decided to either delay the purchase or go for other more affordable models.
As a result, Apple is believed to be working on a cheaper iPhone that could launch with the 2018 generation. In addition to an iPhone X successor and a Plus-sized model, the company could release a more affordable 6.1-inch iPhone as well in September.
As compared to the other two new models, however, the 6.1-inch device could feature an LCD display and lack some key features, like 3D Touch. Instead, Apple will offer it with Face ID facial recognition and Animoji in an attempt to convince more existing customers who are currently sticking with their old models to upgrade to new hardware.