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Due a refresh? Analysts think Apple should get on with a Mac update

New figures and predictions from prominent tech analysts at Gartner and IDC suggest Apple should seriously consider announcing an update to its line of Mac desktop computers sooner rather than later.

IDC data shows Apple’s Mac shipments down 13 percent on the previous year, whereas previously Apple’s desktop solutions have been a beacon of hope in an overall sliding desktop industry – PCs in particular facing a steep decline in a world of increasing smartphone and tablet capabilities and reach. Gartner notes that PC shipments are in decline for the eighth consecutive quarter – at 5.7 percent down.

Apple sold 5.01m units worldwide in the third quarter of 2016, down from 5.76m at the same time last year. As a result its marketshare fell from 8.1 percent to 7.4. It remains behind Lenovo, HP, and Dell. However, Gartner puts Apple behind ASUS in fifth place in its analysis of worldwide shipments.

The data shows Apple is strongly in need of refreshing its MacBook lines – something that might very well be in the pipeline. It’s believed Apple may announce a new line at an event late in October.

Rumors of what might be updated include an improved display for MacBooks – perhaps matching the 5k of the very highest end iMacs, plus a new graphics card to supercharge the products for video editing. It’ll be a welcome update considering this display hasn’t been updated since 2011.

It’s also likely we’ll see new MacBook Air models with USB-C ports that previously launched with the 12-inch MacBook in March 2015. Finally, it’s expected that a new MacBook Pro will contain an OLED touch bar above the keyboard which currently features the functions keys. This will allow users to create their own keyboard shortcuts and functions based on which app they’re currently using.

Read more: Want a better cross-platform Calendar app? Popular app BusyCal expands from Mac to iOS