The growth for the new MacBook in 2017 seems to be exciting, with price cuts and increase in RAM.
According to Ming Chi Kuo, an analyst of KGI Securities, his latest research gives reasons for why he feels upbeat about the growth of the new MacBook in the coming year.
Refreshed Notebooks of 2017
According to Ming Chi Kuo, there might be cuts in the price of both the new devices and the existing ones in case of the refreshed MacBook Pros released in the later half of 2017. In addition, the refresh to the devices are also likely to offer support for a RAM of 32 GB or more.
MacBook Trends
To substantiate his claim, Ming Chi Kuo points out that Apple has a tendency towards pricing its upgraded device versions, such as the MacBook Pro and the first MacBook Air, at a higher rate at the launch time. The prices of the devices are then reduced in the next year. This is the precedent that he has quoted in order to predict that there will be price cuts in the new MacBook Pro models during the second part of the year 2017. In addition, he expects that aspects of the ecosystem of its software and USB C Devices, which can offer the full benefits of Touch Bar, will become more mature by then, so it will be more useful and attractive to users.
Support for more RAM
He also claims that the new and refreshed devices that will be launched during the second part of the coming year will offer support for a bigger RAM of 32 GB. However, it might depend on Intel being able to launch the Connonlake processor within that time.
Users Disappointed with 16 GB RAM
Many of the users of the newly released MacBook Pros, running on Skylake processors that are more efficient in use of energy, are disappointed that the maximum RAM is 16 GB. Another disappointment among customers is that the cost is more when compared to the devices of the previous generation. For example, the 13 inches MacBook Pro having a Touch Bar and being the entry level model, is offered at a price of $1799, which is $500 extra compared to the previous generation versions.
Explanation for Low RAM capacity
However, according to Phil Schiller, the marketing chief of Apple, if Apple were to offer a laptop supporting a RAM of more than 16 GB, it needs the kind of memory system that consumer additional power. This was stated in his email to David of MacRumors. As for the price, Schiller has stated in one of his interviews that the company surely cares about affordability of its devices, but the design is made more for experience and not the price.
Price Expectations
Kuo predicts that the price for the existing MacBooks as well as the new ones, such as the 12 inches note book and the new Pros devices, will come down next year. However, it is not yet clear whether Apple will actually offer a support for a RAM of 32 GB for the MacBook Pros as well as the 12 inches MacBook.