We premiered the first week of 2017 and although the rumors and expectations have already come from behind and with Apple, they are always very much alive, now is the most appropriate time to do not only take stock of what the last twelve months have been, but more well try to clear doubts about what awaits us during the next year.
Undoubtedly, Apple's 2017 is going to be full of news, another thing is that they respond to the expectations we expect or result in innovative news. 2017 is a very important year for the company, it is the tenth anniversary of the launch of the first iPhone and it is necessary, at least, to stop that drop in sales that has characterized the previous year. But this is Soy de Mac so next we'll try to shed some light around what we can expect from Apple and its Macs in 2017.
The immediate future of Apple Macs
Let's be honest, and critical: The year that has just ended has not been the best year for Apple, and there are many users who already express, if not disappointment, yes certain discontent. The second generation Apple Watch (Series 1 and Series 2) is a minimal evolution of the original Apple Watch; the iPad family continues with no updates, except for the launch of the 9,7 ″ iPad Pro which, oddly enough, has some better features than the 12,9-inch flagship, for example, that fabulous True Tone display. If we look at the iPhone ... Anyway, more than iPhone 7 should have been called iPhone 6s 2 because, as much as some insist on denying it, it is the improvement, evolution, or update of the previous model; indeed, the Plus model has an incredible camera, and great internal improvements. But that's it.
And so we come to Mac computers, a segment that this year has seen some movements, namely: minimal evolution of the MacBook Retina, a half-goodbye to the MacBook Air, the complete oblivion of the iMac, Mac Pro and Mac mini, and the absolute transformation of the MacBook Pro. And from this minimal summary of what 2016 has been for Macs, what can we expect in 2017?
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air is already doomed and doomed, actually, it was long before the launch of the MacBook Retina, however, in the fall of 2016, we witnessed the demise of the 11,6-inch model. Now only the 13,3-inch MacBook Air remains and we should not expect more update than its complete disappearance Replaced by the MacBook.
Macbook Retina
The MacBook with retina display is the successor to the Air family as Apple's ultraportable, but its price is excessive. In 2017 it will end up replacing the Air and, perhaps, we will see a new screen size emerge. But without a doubt Apple will have to reduce its price, or sales will continue the path they have already taken in 2016.
Beyond a very hypothetical new size, we can expect little more. The MacBook will probably be updated in the spring with the new Kaby Lake chips energy efficient while maintaining the same design that the MacBook Pro just adopted.
MacBook Pro
The new MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar have practically just come out of the oven, but if Apple maintains the traditional update cycle, we will see a new update in the fall of 2017, but only internally. Upgrades could include Kaby Lake processors and perhaps some price cut.
Mac Pro
Last updated in 2013, there is no indication of what's new or if this will happen in 2017. The appropriate processors and graphics cards for an updated Mac Pro have been around for a long time, but Apple could be waiting for the latest technology from companies like Intel and AMD before introducing a new Mac Pro. In any case, we should not expect news before autumn.
Mac Mini
Like the Mac Pro, the Mac mini hasn't been updated in years, since October 2014. There are no expectations on that either, though an update could include Kaby Lake chips, SSDs, better graphics and other improvements They have been brought to the Mac line in the last two years.
iMac
We will probably see new iMac models in March or April 2017, or so says KGI Securities guru Ming-Chi Kuo. The new models would likely include Intel Kaby Lake chips and AMD graphics, the adoption of USB-C, and perhaps a slight design change.
There is also talk of a new keyboard that would incorporate Touch Bar and that could accompany these new iMac models.
