Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo issued his latest research note to investors on Monday morning that a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro is expected to be the first Mac featured with Apple Silicon.
The often-reliable analyst believes that the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro will have a form factor similar to the current 13.3-inch MacBook Pro, he expects it to go into mass production in the fourth quarter of this year and will launch late in 2020 or early in 2021. An ARM-based MacBook Air is expected either in the same quarter or in the first quarter of next year.
He, however, still foresees Apple to debut a mini-LED 16-inch MacBook Pro as well as a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, which would feature a mini-LED display and an “all-new form factor design.” Yet, these will likely be available for purchase in the second or second from last quarter of 2021, as opposed to in October or November of this year, where some rumors have claimed.
Kuo predicts that Apple will further lower MacBook Air ‘s price after moving to its own processor. However, Kuo ‘s information generally comes from the supply chain, so, in that respect, pricing alone is just an educated guess, meaning that it could be a long way off or close to reality.
Finally, Kuo, an analyst with Tianfeng International Securities, stated in the same report that he foresees the shipment of MacBooks to increase to 16-17 million in 2020. Under optimistic circumstances, if Apple drops the price of the new MacBook Air to offset costs and consumer demand for the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro is relatively high, the shipment volume could increase significantly in the coming year, reaching 18-20 million units.
