Wishlist: Three killer features we hope to see in future Apple MacBooks
China-based tech manufacturer, and fierce Apple competitor, Huawei, has recently unveiled its latest offering: the Huawei Matebook X. This Microsoft Windows 10 laptop is perhaps the best example of double-threat, with a design that resembles very closely Apple’s minimalist, ultra-thin profile, powerful specs, and a few features borrowed from Microsoft’s own devices, with a few improvements that make the Matebook X truly unique.
Here comes a teachable moment for Apple, that should have come from Samsung:
In its quest to please mobile consumers first, Apple has decided to go for Samsung’s jugular, by reducing the bezel to almost nothing. While Apple has come very close to it, the Samsung S8’s curved screen still takes the cake. The massive success of the S8 as a mobile device should have provided a few clues about the importance of offering the widest viewing angle, which is not just an important selling point to smartphone buyers, but also for those looking for their next new laptop.
Huawei has caught on to that, and filled the need for more real estate, on its Matebook X, with a 14 inch 3K LTPS screen that stretches from end to end of the laptop’s body, with an extremely tiny bezel. A feat that even Microsoft has not been able to pull off.
The Matebook X offers a 178-degree viewing angle range, which is one great thing to have in business meetings where a larger display or projector isn’t available.
Privacy matters
Privacy isn’t just a buzzword, anymore. It is a real concern, affecting private citizens, as well as entire governments, scrambling to come to grasps with increasingly sophisticated ways to gather personal information and monitor activity remotely. All laptops, desktops and other mobile devices, come equipped with high-resolution cameras that, given sufficient resources and technical expertise, can be hacked into turn on remotely, and used as spying tools. Yet, no manufacturer, anywhere, has come up with a sensible and simple solution to address privacy advocates, until now.
At first glance, it’s impossible to tell where Huawei may have hidden the camera on its laptop. In fact, one could even wonder if there is a camera at all. Huawei has worked out that a “fake” function key, on top of the keyboard provides the best way to embed a camera. The key, conveniently labeled with a display symbol, is designed to pop up, much like the pop-up headlights on an old Corvette, and reveal the tiny camera lens, ready to be used in just the way it was intended. By having the camera completely buried inside the keyboard portion of the laptop, there is no way a hacker can see anything through it remotely, even if it was at all possible to access it and turn it on.
Convenience and security
By concealing the fingerprint scanner inside the power button, Huawei has eliminated one step when booting up the Matebook, which the company claims it’s capable of booting up and get you to the Windows 10 desktop in as little as 8 seconds. Currently the Apple Macbook’s fingerprint scanner is only available in the Pro version with the Touch Bar, while on Microsoft Surface devices, the Surface Book is the only laptop that incorporates the fingerprint scanner natively. In all other devices, the fingerprint scanner is optional, and must be purchased together with a Surface Keyboard.
It’s pretty obvious that Huawei is going after key markets currently dominated by Apple, Microsoft and Samsung. With that said, the Chinese company has come up with features that should cause all three tech giants to reflect on a few things customers may be looking for in their future purchases.
Ready to shop?
If you are looking for the perfect MacBook, PortableOne has you covered with a great selection of Apple MacBooks, as well as the newly unveiled 13 inch and 15 inch MacBook Pro with TouchBar.