There have been rumours circulating for a little while that when Apple reveal 2021 MacBooks that we could see a redesign. The company have recently unveiled new 13″ MacBook Pro and MacBook Air machines which have ditched the Intel processors and instead have switched over to their own Silicone M1 processor chipset. Externally however the devices kept the same classic design.
That could be set to change this year. We could see Apple ditch the Touch Bar featured on their MacBook Pro line. In theory, it sounded great and innovative but, not all apps support the Touch Bar and those that do, users found the placement difficult to use. One feature is text prediction and the placement of the Touch Bar means that continuing typing is easier than making use of the Touch Bar. It also means the buttons for sound or brightness aren’t always easily accessible either. Having used the Touch Bar myself I can confirm that there is only really one app I use where it is beneficial but, the rest of the time it isn’t always practical.
As well as ditching the Touch Bar there are rumours that Apple could be bringing back Mag Safe charging. When Apple ditched the Magsafe technology to USB-C it left many owners unhappy as it wasn’t as easy to plug in and charge, or disconnect. Especially if you accidentally tripped over the wire. With the previous Magsafe charger it would simply disconnect from the MacBook, while with USB-C if you were unfortunate to catch the wire it meant the laptop could take a tumble, or damage the USB port. While most users have gotten used to this, several companies created a USB-C Magsafe conversion device which gave users the same ease of use.
Interestingly there are also rumours that Apple could also be reintroducing the SD card reader. Again a feature that was removed with the Magsafe and Apple changed to USB-C ports. This was perhaps missed even more by users as it meant many had to purchase an SD card reader separately. My favourite SD card reader – the KiwiBird adapter Hub – featured the USB-C port for plugging into the MacBook, an SD card reader and a MicroSD card reader, as well as a USB-A port on the end for older USB devices.
I for one would be happy to see the return of the Magsafe charger and SD card reader. The loss of the Touch Bar I’m undecided on as for the one app I do use it for, it makes working much more efficient and will be missed. What are you most looking forward to in the redesigned MacBooks?
