Apple updates entry-level MacBook Air and Pro, discontinues MacBook

Enlarge / The 2018 MacBook Air is 10% thinner than the old MacBook Air and weighs 2.75lbs. (credit: Valentina Palladino)

Today, Apple refreshed much of its entry-level laptop lineup in time for a “Back to School” push that includes slashed prices for educators and students. The initiative some other perks, too, like a free pair of Beats headphones with certain Mac and iPad purchases. Additionally, the company discontinued the 12-inch MacBook and significantly cut prices of solid-state storage upgrade options across the Mac lineup, including in high-end models like the MacBook Pro and iMac Pro.

13-inch MacBook Pro updates

Previously, the 13-inch MacBook Pro lineup was divided into two categories: low-end, Touch Bar-free models, and higher-end models with Touch Bars. Now, every unit in the lineup is equipped with a Touch Bar, which brings into question some speculation by onlookers that Apple doesn’t want to further invest in the Touch Bar.

In today’s refreshes, only the entry-level, non-Touch Bar models have been replaced. The higher-performance models that start with a 2.4GHz eighth-generation Intel CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD—previously, “the Touch Bar models”—are unchanged, apart from pricing on storage upgrades, which we’ll dive into shortly.