Apple's Mac laptops undergo a major transformation, with super high cost-performance ratio expected to be introduced to university campuses?

Although Apple's iPhone and iPad sales are greater than Apple computers, Mac computers and laptops are vital products for Apple. One reason is that if you want to write software for the iPhone or iPad, you have to write it on a Mac. Therefore, there is an important group among the Mac customer base: software professionals.

Apple on Tuesday updated its MacBook Air laptop with a higher-quality TrueTone screen, lowered the price to $1,099, making it Apple's least expensive laptop, and added a Touch Bar on the keyboard.

Apple also discontinued the 12-inch MacBook, a confusingly thin and light laptop, and discontinued the older MacBook Air, which did not have a USB-C port, completely replacing all computer content.

After the 12-inch MacBook was phased out, the smallest Apple computer options for consumers are the 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Although Apple's official website no longer accepts orders for the 12-inch MacBook, consumers can still order older models from authorized dealers with discounts of up to $200, but stocks are limited.

Mac unit sales fell 5% last year, but the overall PC market fell 3.7% that year, according to IDC estimates.

Apple watcher John Gruber said on Tuesday that overall, Apple's massive simplification of its entire MacBook product line is a good thing.

As we head into the fall, all of Apple's Mac products have been updated. The iMac got a new chip in March, most MacBook Pro laptops were updated this summer, and the popular Mac Mini was launched last fall.

For customers such as animators and programmers who require high-end, extreme performance, Apple launched a new Mac Pro desktop computer in June this year, with a starting price of US$6,000. It has not yet been launched on the market, but is expected to go on sale this fall. It is an update to the previous generation product after a lapse of 6 years.

New software features
Mac supports new software features. For example, the game subscription service that Apple will launch this fall will support Mac, not just iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

The latest version of MacOS, Catalina, has also seen many changes, eliminating many low-profile software, such as iTunes, and replacing them with some independent music, radio and TV apps. Users can sync their iPhones directly with their Macs without having to go through iTunes.

Apple also introduced a new feature to set up dual screens. By pairing an iPad, the iPad can be turned into a second screen for the MacBook.

At the Apple Developer Conference in June this year, developers said they were excited about the software development tool Catalyst because this tool allows developers to write program code once and have it run on both iPhone and Mac. Apps that were previously only available on one of the devices will also be available in the future, enriching its software ecosystem.

Another
major transformation of Apple Mac is the keyboard. In 2015, Apple introduced a thinner keyboard design called the butterfly keyboard, which has now become the basic configuration of all Apple computers.

But critics say the butterfly keyboard is unreliable and easily collects dust or crumbs. Earlier this year, Apple announced that the majority of Mac notebook customers were satisfied with the new keyboards and were very positive.

Although well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities had previously expected that Apple's new MacBook Air would abandon the butterfly keyboard design, the new device announced by Apple on Tuesday still has the butterfly keyboard, but this is the latest version of the design, which is said to be more reliable than the older model.

Back-to-school promotions started simultaneously.
On the same day as the launch of the new generation MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, Apple also launched a back-to-school promotion on Tuesday. The MacBook Air, which was originally priced at US$1,099, can be purchased for US$999 as long as you are a student or faculty member recognized by Apple.

The MacBook Pro, priced at $1,299, has been reduced to $1,199 for educators.

Many other new Apple devices such as iPad Air, iPad Pro, iMac, iMac Pro... all have educator discounts.

Tom Boger, Apple's senior director of Mac product marketing, said that college students like Macs, and the new generation of products has higher performance, coupled with preferential prices, such as the student price of MacBook Air at $999, this is the best time to promote Macs to universities.