With Apple’s annual developer conference WWDC about a fortnight away, certain leaks and reports are speculating that big changes are coming to the MacBook Pro lineup this year.
Cupertino has neglected the Macbook Pro line-up, where-in the addition of the Retina display was the biggest change that was introduced at WWDC 2014. Apple had introduced minor changes to the internals, including a powerful processor, bigger battery and RAM silently but no radical change has since been added to the line-up.
But, Apple might finally be taking a break from improving and launching the silent MacBook Air’s and focus on the Macbook Pro’s this time around. According to a report from KGI securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo, Apple plans to introduce a thinner and lighter Macbook that will sport a touch-enabled OLED display just above the keyboard and Touch ID(similar to the iPhone).
The revamped Macbook Pro’s will be lighter and thinner than the previous versions thanks to the new metal injection hinge mechanism that was introduced in the previous 12-inch MacBook design upgrade. The new Macbook Pro, as Kuo speculates will come in two variants, the 13-inch and 15-inch models including Touch ID fingerprint scanner and USB Type-C/Thunderbolt compatible ports.
With the help of the touch-enabled OLED display, Apple will replace the function keys present in the top row of the keyboard. There are no exact details on functionality of the OLED display, but the addition of a miniature secondary display at the bottom of the main screen will be a sight for sore eyes. Kou adds to the leaks saying that,
While long overlooked, the MacBook line is the brightest spot for Apple’s 2016 rollouts. This is particularly true of the two new MacBook Pro models, to be introduced in 4Q16.
In addition to the release of the two revamped Macbook Pro’s, Apple is also going to unveil a 13-inch MacBook alongside the 12-inch version of the current available product. It is believed that Apple will go ahead and release all three speculated MacBook’s this year at WWDC. The report also adds that the newly released Macbook Pro’s will become the high-end range of the product line-up, while the new 13-inch MacBook will replace Macbook Air’s in the mid-range. The MacBook Air will thus become an entry level option for the users, and it’s available in Rose Gold too.
Apple will be organizing its Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco from 13-17 June 2016. Cupertino is expected to unveil an updated version of iOS, watchOS and other platforms at the same, along the three Macbook’s mentioned above. The company will also introduce a revamped version of Apple Music, with expanded Radio Services at WWDC’16.
