MacBook Lineup to See Better Growth Than iPhone, iPad in 2018: KGI's Ming-Chi Kuo

Apple's lineup of MacBook laptops is likely to show better year-over-year (YoY) growth in shipments in 2018 - between 13-16 percent - which will be better growth than the company's iPad and even iPhone lineups will see in the same period, a new report by Taiwan-based market research firm KGI Securities said.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo - arguably the most trusted Apple analyst globally - is positive on the outlook for Apple MacBook, which is expected to see the best YoY shipments growth among Apple's (US) main product lines in 2018.

In comparison, Kuo says iPhone shipments are expected to grow just 4-6 percent and iPad shipments 7-10 percent, 9to5Mac reports.

Kuo also reiterated his prediction of a new more-affordable MacBook Air in the pipeline for release in Q2 this year. A separate report by Digitimes recently claimed Apple is also working on a new entry-level MacBook, apart from a refresh to its entry-level iPad and top-end iPad Pro lineups.

Apple this week announced an education-focused event on March 27, scheduled to be held at a high school in Chicago. The unusual venue points to an unusual announcement, and apart from possible launches of affordable hardware (like an entry-level MacBook and iPad) to take on the Chromebook invasion of the classroom, the Cupertino-based company may be working on new augmented reality (AR) apps and features. The invite for the event says the company will share "creative new ideas for teachers and children," but also mentions field trips, hinting at the possibility of virtual excursions.

Written with inputs from IANS