The plastic MacBook that I’m typing on right now has been around for three long years now, but if you believe certain Barclays Capital analysts it’s about the be completely redesigned. About time!
AppleInsider, always good for a Mac rumor or two, speculates that the new MacBook will be “slimmer” and “lighter,” and with a “restructured internal architecture.” Expect to see previous generation Intel Core 2 processors and legacy hardware (Firewire) phased out. That’s fine: I can’t remember the last time I needed a Firewire port.
And if you do need a Firewire port, odds are you’re a power user who’d be better off with a Mac Pro or high-end MacBook Pro. Remember: the MacBook is for everyday consumers.
Further questions remain: will there be more than one model of the new MacBook, or will Apple maintain the one-size-fits-all dynamic? How cheap will it be? The MacBook is already $999, so how much can we expect Apple to cut that? After all, Apple doesn’t want to eat into sales of its tablet computer, whenever that blasted thing comes out (probably Q1 2010).
To recap: expect a new MacBook in the coming months.
No, not exactly Nostradamus-level prognosticating, I admit.