MacBook 2018 Specs Rumors: Apple Shifting to Using Oxide With Second Model?
A second Retina MacBook is reportedly in the works.
This unit is different from the cheaper and entry-level model that Digitimes recently reported on, which was described to be shipped with amorphous silicon or a-Si, the tech most commonly used in laptops.
IHS Markit analyst Rhoda Alexander recently told Forbes that Apple is set to use another 13.3-inch Retina-class display panel on a second MacBook unit.
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Like the a-Si version, it will come with a 2,560-by-1,600 screen resolution, but it will be based on oxide, which is a newer laptop display tech that is sometimes referred to as IGZO. This tech offers advantages over a-Si including more vivid display brightness making for an overall visual experience.
Alexander says that the oxide panel is "almost certainly going to the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro product," which will make the machine the latest from the Cupertino giant to use such tech.
No laptop in the entire MacBook line (including Pro and Air) uses oxide at the moment. The only ones that do that are available right now are the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display and the iPad Pro.
IHS Market believes that Apple is looking to completely transition to oxide technology for the MacBook Pro in the future and is starting such effort with this year's MacBook offering.
As for the release date, Alexander says that the production for the new MacBook 2018 units will kick off during the third quarter of the year, which is behind what the recent reports suggest.
"Our research indicates panel production won't start until the third quarter. A June launch is possible but component orders do not appear aligned with that at present," she said.
This suggests that the oxide-based MacBook 2018 laptop might arrive a little later than the new a-Si MacBook Air, which, as per Digitimes, will enter mass production as early as May, shortly after LG Display provides the panels next month.
