Apple plans to announce an update to its laptop line-up at an annual conference for app developers in early June, a move that could help offset new competition from Microsoft as well as declining iPad sales.
The company is planning three new laptops, according to a statement released by the company.
The MacBook Pro will get a faster Kaby Lake processor from Intel, said the statement. Apple is also working on a new version of the 12-inch MacBook with a faster Intel chip. The company has also considered updating the aging 13-inch MacBook Air with a new processor as sales of the laptop, Apple’s cheapest, remain surprisingly strong, the statement revealed.
The Mac line-up generates just 11% of the company’s US$216bn in annual sales, with the iPhone accounting for almost two-thirds of the total. But Macs are key to retaining the business of loyalists and the creative industries.
Apple hasn’t announced upgraded hardware at its June developer’s conference since 2013, when it launched the Mac Pro and updated the MacBook Air. In addition to the new Macs this year, Apple will likely announce an upgraded version of the macOS operating system. At last year’s conference, the company announced the Sierra operating system, which added support for Siri and Apple Pay, and which came with I Message improvements.
