I don't like the new redesign based on the leaked schematics and the renders that were published by Luke Miani on youtube and other images that are floating around on the internet. Hopefully when they actually come out later this year, it will look better than those guessed renders. I much prefer the design of the current 16" macbook. Just make the bezels thinner, put faceid and give us 5g support, 120hz displays and I'm sold.
Things I do not like about the leaked renders:
1. Those rounded corners of the chassis is reminiscent of the old plastic macbook. I much prefer the 2008+ era unibody design of macbooks w/ bulges on top and bottom w/ sharp squared off sides. Especially when I look top down on my macbook, the top panel has a nice shade of gradience b/c of the gradual bulge.
2. The top function row gets the full height just like the rest of the keys forcing the trackpad to be smaller. I don't like that compromise. Why does Apple need to make the heights of the top row same as the rest? Are they trying to enforce that "consistent design" language across all their products? One area where macbooks were always leagues ahead of competitors was its huge trackpad since 2016. Many windows competitors are still playing catch-up and they still have not caught up to Apple even in 2021. If Apple were to make trackpads smaller b/c of this, it's a significant step backwards.
3. Based on the leaked renders by Jon Prosser for late 2021/2022 macbook air, it is likely that Apple will replace the 4 black circular rubber feet of current design by 2 long vertical colour-matched strips across the bottom chassis. It looks hideous. Macbooks are portable devices and people will carry them around. If I see those 2 ugly vertical strips from other people carrying their macbooks I will probably cringe. 2 vertical strips work for desktop b/c people don't see the bottom but not for portables.
4. The spacing b/w keys are more further apart, and as a result it is likely that key sizes will be smaller than the 2020 scissor keys. It doesn't look good. I much prefer the larger keys of the butterfly era.
5. The ports on the leaked CAD files are not vertically centre-aligned. They're closer to the top. Aesthetically vertical centre-alignment of the ports like current macbooks is more pleasing than asymmetry design. I'm guessing this is b/c the bottom chassis is rounded so they were forced to put the ports towards the top.
Things I like:
1. Removal of the "macbook" branding on the bottom of the front display. Looks much cleaner and cohesive.
2. Smaller bezels. No brainer. Apple is playing catch-up here.
3. The 4 rounded corners on escape, fn, touchid and right arrow keys. If the new imac keyboards are indicative of the macbooks' respective counterparts, they look good.
4. Return of the full heights for left and right arrow keys. Whilst inverted T design is preferred by some, I prefer Apple bring back the full heights for these.
5. Return of the magsafe port.
6. Removal of the touchbar. Whilst I'm impartial to the exclusion of this feature, its long-term reliability was a sticking point. Contextually aware oled strip that is changing is a nice concept but we've had years of complaints about the unreliability of the touchbar. Oled strips can never replace the reliable good old fashioned hard keys.
