Everyone is waiting for Apple to bring OLED displays to MacBooks, and we’re expecting an OLED MacBook Pro in the next couple of years. The MacBook Air, however, may remain OLED-less even in 2027, according to a new tip from Korean outlet The Elec.
Instead, it seems Apple has begun developing a different kind of screen upgrade for the 2027 Air — an oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD). The inferior screen is often people’s biggest complaint about the MacBook Air series, so any improvement will likely be welcome, but it’s definitely a shame that OLED still seems to be out of reach.
One of the MacBook Air’s main features is its affordability, and it appears that OLED technology remains too expensive at the moment to incorporate it into the Air without introducing a price hike.
Raising the price may have been considered an option at one point but after the poor sales of the expensive OLED iPad Pro, Apple seems convinced that its customers aren’t happy to pay more just for a better screen.
If the 2027 MacBook Air’s TFT LCD display is really nice, perhaps Apple’s compromise will work out fine — but there’s a chance that a portion of the Air’s audience will remain disappointed with the lesser quality.
In this case, it feels like we have a bit of a problem. The Pro lineup is just a little too big and fancy for some people, but the Air lineup is just a little too budget. In other words, maybe we need a new type of product to cater to those stuck in the middle.
Imagine an Air-style MacBook whose specs aren’t restricted by a predetermined price point but only by its other defining features. Basically, they could give it a nice display and fill it with the best stuff they can while keeping the fan-less, lightweight design.
You’d probably end up with a “MacBook Air Pro” type product for people who love the Air’s portability and design but are willing to pay for better specs. I would be one of those people — I’m a MacBook Air owner with pretty much zero interest in MacBook Pros, and I know I would switch to this middle-ground product if it existed. I want a better screen!
As much sense as it makes to me, however, there’s no sign that such a product is on the horizon so let’s hope this TFT LCD display looks real good — or that the price of OLED falls dramatically over the next couple of years.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.