Apple fans shouldn’t expect new MacBooks at WWDC this year

By Luke Larsen Published June 25, 2018

Stephen Lam/Stringer/Getty Images

A new report suggests that Apple won’t be announcing any new hardware this coming Monday, June 4 at WWDC.

Recommended Videos

Apple’s WWDC is a developers conference, but it’s often used as a platform to launch new hardware. Sometimes it’s new iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, iMacs, or even a new Apple Watch or HomePod. But according to this new report from Bloomberg, that won’t be the case this year.

Rather than being product-focused, the emphasis of the event will be on software updates to iOS and MacOS, as well as an overhaul to ARKit. The report details that we’ll get a new mode in ARKit 2.0 that allows two people to play AR games against each other in the same environment on their iPhones. Sounds cool, but again, just don’t expect an announcement about that rumored AR headset we’ve been hearing about for years now.

Bloomberg’s piece doesn’t claim any specific sources, but it’s in line with other recent reporting on the matter, suggesting that the update to the entire MacBook lineup will happen in late 2018 — rather than at WWDC. On the other hand, Apple could give us the CPU bump we’ve been waiting for in MacBook Pros, without needing much of an announcement.

On the laptop side of things in particular, we’ve been waiting for news on refreshed MacBook Pros, as well a redesigned entry-level MacBook Air. The current MacBook Air has been ignored for years, while continuing to sell well for Apple as a budget-friendly entry-point into the Apple ecosystem. In the meantime, looks like we’ll have to keep waiting.

One interesting tidbit from the report is a mention of more interplay between iOS and MacOS. Bloomberg claims that the “focus this year will be on integrating more deeply with iOS.” We doubt that Apple will be ready to introduce iOS apps to the Mac or anything like that, we’d be delighted to hear about some more meaningful integration between the two platforms. With even Twitter pulling its official Mac out of the App Store, it’s really time for Apple to re-convince developers that it’s worth putting resources into.

The keynote to the event starts on Monday, June 4 at 10 a.m. PT, and we’ll be watching it live on our Twitch channel starting Monday morning.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Luke Larsen is the Senior Editor of Computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.

Computing

iPad is the best secondary screen I’ve used with a MacBook

You can extend your MacBook's screen by using an iPad as a secondary monitor.

I spend an unhealthy amount of time lurking in communities where people share aesthetic desktop setups. One of my friends recently set the group chat on fire with a triple monitor setup that had two vertical screens and an ultrawide curved panel at the center. An impulse swipe later, I achieved a similar makeover for my desk at home.

Here’s the problem, though. My $600 workstation overhaul did bring me visual joy, but not much utility. For reporting assignments, I spend the majority of the year away from home, working from deserted cafes or unnaturally uncomfortable bunk beds. I do miss the convenience of large secondary screens. Interestingly, that yearning is addressed by a rather unconventional device —the humble iPad.

Computing

Attention to detail is Apple’s not-so-hidden hardware superpower

Apple Mac Studio 2025 top down view showing desktop.

I've reviewed well over 300 laptops, a handful of displays, and a smattering of accessories. Naturally, I've gained an appreciation for great hardware design and construction, and I can pretty immediately get a sense of where a device stacks up. While several companies make great hardware, one stands apart. I'm talking about Apple, and I'm writing this after having reviewed the new Mac Studio, the MacBook Air 13 (M4), the MacBook Air 15 (M4), and the Apple Studio Display.

At the end of 2023, I wrote extensively about why I made the decision to switch to Mac after decades of Windows loyalty. I made that decision based in part on the outstanding power-performance ratio that Apple Silicon brings to laptops, -- along with a growing frustration with Windows. Apple's software isn't nearly perfect, especially considering the company's flawed rollout of Apple Intelligence. But since I've made the switch -- which included migrating from an Android smartphone to an iPhone and incorporating an Apple Watch -- I've been extremely happy. And reviewing so many Apple products at once just reinforced an impression that's been growing on me for a while: nobody makes hardware that's nearly as great.
It starts with the unboxing

Computing

The long overdue MacBook Pro design refresh might land in 2026

MacBook Pro

Apple likes to stick around with each product design refresh for at least a few generations. Take for example the M4 MacBook Pro, which is still carrying the same design language that was first introduced atop the M1 series models back in 2021.
Things could finally change next year. “In terms of major new Mac designs, I don’t expect the MacBook Pro to get an overhaul until around 2026 — when the M6 model is due to come out,” says a Bloomberg report.
Apple is currently working on refreshed MacBook Air and Pro models with M5-series processors. They might, however, stick with the same aesthetic formula as their respective M4-series counterparts. It’s not bad, but not without its flaws either.

“It’s no joke to lug around. Some will appreciate the extra screen real estate, no doubt, but there’s definitely a trade-off in mobility,” said Digital Trends’ review of the current-gen MacBook Pro.
“The one eyesore in the whole experience to me is still the notch in the display. I find it quite ugly and intrusive, and the way it cuts into the menu bar can be clumsy, especially on the 14-inch model,” the review adds.