A canceled education order is increasing hopes for new Macbook model

By Arif Bacchus Published October 23, 2018

Image used with permission by copyright holder

With Apple’s October 30 event fast approaching, rumors continue to surface about new Macs and iPad models. In the latest, a canceled education order is stoking hopes for a new MacBook model, as originally noted by 9to5Mac.

Though hard to verify, an email sent by Apple to an education customer revealed that an order with MacBook Air, iPad, and Apple Pencil is delayed and now shipping on October 30, with the time subject to change. That falls on the same day as the Apple event and it could be likely that the education order is being delayed just in favor of a new version of the MacBook instead.

Recommended Videos

The education customer originally ordered a 256GB 13-inch MacBook Air, which is a model that many expect to be phased out for something similar to the 12-inch MacBook Pro. There also remains the possibility that this same model is out of stock, or Apple is just swapping out orders for a MacBook with newer specs and at a new price.

Previous rumors have indicated that the new MacBook Air replacement model could come in at a costly $1,200. Currently, the highest-end MacBook Air comes in at the same price, but some have also talked about the price dropping to $999.

With the current top-range MacBook Air model sporting aging fifth-generation processors, it will also be interesting to see if a change to newer Intel chipsets will be taken into account for that price. Apple is apparently also considering transitioning away from Intel processors in favor of a custom A-series ARM-based chipset, but that is a while away by 2020.

As for other products expected at the October 30 event, there are hopes for an iPad Pro 2018 with smaller bezels, a specs bump for the Mac Mini, and also AirPods 2. And though a big wild shot, it could be possible that there might be mention of the AirPower charger, too.

The October 30 event would be Apple’s fourth of the year, coming after an iPad event, the Worldwide Developers Conference, and the most recent iPhone reveal. Considering recent device reveals from Google and Microsoft, the fall season is definitely a good time to be a fan of tech.

Former Computing Writer

Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…

Topics

Computing

Outlook will soon warn you before you answer an outdated email

Microsoft is bringing reply alerts, rule-based templates, and improved categories to Outlook

Computer, Electronics, Laptop

Microsoft has recently been cleaning up some longstanding Windows 11 pain points, including parts of the Start menu and Search. According to a new report from Windows Latest, the company is also preparing several useful changes for the new Outlook app on Windows 10 and Windows 11, which became generally available in 2024.

Microsoft is adding a warning for users who start replying to an older email after a newer response has arrived in the same conversation. The alert is meant to stop people from replying without seeing the latest information in the thread.

Computing

Google just changed how it grades the AI models you use for Android coding

Android Bench has a new testing framework and eight new models, so the rankings you remember are now out of date.

Android Bench featured.

Google just changed how it measures which AI models are best at writing Android app code, and the update has shuffled the rankings developers use to pick their tools. The company's Android Bench leaderboard, which launched in March, now runs on a new testing system called Harbor. Google says this replaces the older, more generic testing tool it used before, and gives a better read on how models perform on real Android tasks, like updating old code to Jetpack Compose or handling wearable device networking.

New models shake up the top of the list

Computing

ChatGPT is coming for one of Google’s smartest Chrome features

OpenAI brings ChatGPT to Chrome to challenge Google's Gemini Side Panel

OpenAI

OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT beyond its website with the launch of a new Chrome extension that can understand the contents of the webpage you're viewing. The extension allows users to ask questions about a page, summarize articles, explain complex concepts, and even kick off longer AI-powered tasks without leaving their browser.

The move positions ChatGPT as a direct competitor to Google's Gemini in Chrome, which introduced similar context-aware browsing features earlier this year. While both tools aim to bring AI directly into web browsing, they take slightly different approaches to productivity and automation.