Stumptowner

Long since the heady days of rumor threads before the iPhone, many of us tried to describe the utility of a foldable device the size of a thin paperback form factor.  Something that could go in a pocket, closable to protect the screens and when opened, providing a screen that could mimic a real book - thus a latter day iBook.  Since then, the iPad mini and iPhone Max's have tried to be that, but neither quite do it.  To some, this may be a niche, but I think, like the original iPod, it is not a solution waiting for a problem; it is a form-factor that most didn't know they wanted.

Sarsara_777 said:

mmmm..a giant version of the unpopular Touch Bar ! Great thinking! 

Reports of the Touch Bar's unpopularity have been found to be greatly exaggerated.

This is the perfect function for a "studio" like Apple+!  Create 2-hour movies for theaters and 3-hour+ director's cuts for online streaming!  The best of both worlds and thy feed on each other with very little waste.  Imagine how many versions of The Lord of the Rings could have been effectively edited and made available to generations of viewers if this had been part of the plan!!  Tom Bombadil gives a "thumbs up!"  Anyone who whines about anything over 2-hours can safely ignore it and be ignored.

Awesome looking and looks to last a lifetime, but I can't see paying more than $99 for something like that ... even if it is worth it.

I would be interested in what Apple feels is the current and future audience for the MBAirs.  Is it evolving?  There has been the faction of executive travelers who need light, relatively simple machines to carry around and do most work in the cloud.  They don't need to edit 8k video, use PS, or have the need for lots of ports.  They can afford to pay for the best, minimalistic tech and materials, but probably won't want a bright red laptop.  Then there are the somewhat wealthier students or other consumers who also don't need much, but who might fit the old iBook type with colors and "just let me get online, do email and IG stuff."

I just bring this up because as the MBPro's get back to real pro features and multiple ports, and perhaps the MacBooks remain the somewhat clunkier, but reasonably priced mac laptop for most consumers - I really hope Apple can again differentiate their customers in a way that gives everyone options and continues to grow the ecosystem.

Of course, it might be that the MBAirs are just the laptop for those who really want an iPadPro, but can't give up on MacOS.