MacBook won’t get a major upgrade in 2018

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13 inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
Apple's reportedly not planning a major MacBook refresh this year.
Photo: Apple

Apple has no plans for a major upgrade to its MacBook line this year, a report claims. The last time Apple gave a major upgrade to the MacBook was in 2016, when Apple introduced the Touch Bar.

Provided this is accurate, it may disappoint customers who view the introduction of the iMac Pro as proof that Apple is placing renewed emphasis on its Mac product line.

Despite this, it’s worth noting that the report says “major” upgrade, meaning that it’s quite likely that the MacBook could still receive an update this year focused on more marginal under-the-hood improvements.

Foxconn wants a bigger piece of the pie

According to today’s news, Apple is expected to shift more MacBook orders to Foxconn this year, rather than continuing to give most of the orders to Quanta Computer. Foxconn is expected to begin shipping its orders in the second quarter of 2018.

Apple has been dividing MacBook orders between Quanta and Foxconn for several years, although previously this has been about 80:20 in favor of Quanta. No exact breakdown is given for 2018’s orders, but it is likely that Foxconn will be more evenly matched with Quanta. Despite this, Quanta will reportedly remain the largest MacBook supplier in 2018.

Foxconn has been actively campaigning to get more MacBook orders by offering Apple lower prices.

Source: Digitimes

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