Category: Blogs Tech

I wonder if Apple may end up with a MacBook lineup which mirrors the current iPad lineup, with a 12" MacBook mini and 5 total devices including a super budget device. There would be no 15" MacBook, which goes against some currently suggested rumors.

iPad

• iPad Pro - Large and Small - 12.9" and 11"
• iPad Air - Large - 10.9"
• iPad mini - Small - 8.3"
• "iPad" - Cheap - 10.2": Older design with newish internals

MacBook?

• MacBook Pro - Large and Small - 16.2" and 14.2"
• MacBook Air - Large - 13.6"
• MacBook mini - Small - ~12.2"
• "MacBook" - Cheap - 13.3": Older design with newish internals

Why

• So there are only 2 size choices of the mainstream SKU, Air and mini
• So there is an ultraportable mainstream 12" MacBook with good performance
• So there is a super budget device, but not way too many different choices
• "MacBook" could be old design with updated internals at budget price
• MacBook Air and mini reach main customers who want very portable Mac
• Budget "MacBook" SE would reach budget customers who just want Mac

Apple should include the Spotlight search bar at the top of the Control Center screen, so it could be accessed like a widget from within any application quicker and easier.

Apple should merge Control Center and Widgets in its operating systems, and remove widgets from the home screen or app launcher.

I wonder if ilog, short for minilog, would be a better name for short form micro blogs like Twitter and Instagram which either limit posts to media or limit the amount of text characters used in posts.

Why

• Instead of blogging, we could shorten it to ilogging instead of microblogging
• Filename extension .ilog could potentially be used for minilogs and micro blogs
• The prefix mini is used to mean it is a minimum or minimal style log
• Ironically, miniblogs impose a maximum amount of characters for posts

Options

• ilog - Short for mini
• Minilog
• olog - Short for micro
• Microlog
• elog - Short for line
• Linelog
• Memlog - Short for memo or memory
• Memolog
• Linlog - Short for line
• Linelog
• Minlog - Short for mini
• Minilog

I wonder if TextExpander should offer both a single purchase that includes all features offline, and a separate but optional subscription purchase, that includes an online account with cloud syncing.

What

• Single purchase for all main features
• Subscription purchase for cloud sync features
• Single purchase includes all features without account
• Subscription includes saving and syncing settings with account

Why

• Have more happy users and positive reviews
• Get many more users for network effect
• Still have recurring revenue from power users
• Make versions 2, 3, etc. for single purchase upgrade strategy

I wonder if Apple even needs to make a Mac mini Pro or an iMac Pro now, since they have the Mac Studio and have recommitted to the Mac Pro in 2019 after seemingly considering scrapping it in favor of an all-in-one iMac Pro design under Jony Ive in 2017.

If I had to guess if Apple makes a 15" MacBook, a 12" MacBook, or both sizes, I would guess they only make the 12" size, to pair with the current 13.6" MacBook Air. It could have an M3 chip based on ARMv9 and might also be the first non-Pro device by Apple with Mini-LED.

I wonder if Apple WWDC 2022 might not include the release of the newly redesigned consumer MacBook or Mac mini.

Notes

• I have an alternate idea about the products that could be announced at Apple's WWDC 2022 event, as we often expect things earlier than they arrive, like people thinking M2 could come in spring 2022, a flat Watch in 2021, or a redesigned flat back iPhone in 2022.
• Since the new MacBook and Mac mini are giant updates to decade old designs, I wonder if it could make sense to only release a MacBook Pro sans notch and a larger iMac with 5nm M1X/M2 in 2Q22, and leave the new MacBook and Mac mini for the 3nm M2/M3 with ARMv9 for around 1Q23.
• The new Mac Pro with the most powerful chip Apple will make could then be the star of the show, as long as it is ready to be released. The Mac Pro and iMac are more developer focused devices anyway, as opposed to the MacBook and Mac mini, which are targeted more at consumers.
• Rebranding or naming of products is much tougher to guess, but I wonder if there is at least a chance that the Mac Pro could be renamed to something else, based on the Mac Studio being released with a new name earlier this year, and including the M1 Pro chip.

Update - June 4th

• While my alternative guess is that the newly redesigned MacBook and Mac mini could wait until 2023 for the 3nm M1-series chip, I will add that maybe they could still release an updated MacBook Air with the old design, instead of the new colorful design.
• Since the potential third generation 5nm M1X/M2 chip for this year may not be a big enough upgrade for the new design, they could release both the MacBook and MacBook Pro this year in the old designs, which they used for the original M1 Macs from late 2020.