Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) may release its new MacBook Pro 2016 in October, becoming the first revision since 2015. The MacBook Air 2016 could accompany its big brother during the company’s unveiling next month.
Initially expected to launch in September, the 2016 models should come without the Kaby Lake chipset. In the current product line, the MacBook Pro sits on top the performance range of the MacBook and the entry-level MacBook Air.
Introduced at Apple’s Spring Forward media event in March 2015, the updated 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is currently the latest MacBook Pro model. It offered several improvements over the 2014 version, including a Broadwell processor, superior Intel graphics, a Force Touch trackpad, faster flash storage, and enhanced battery life.
The Cupertino-based tech company released its last Macintosh portable computer back in April. It was the refurbished Retina MacBook of the redesigned MacBook line launched in 2015. The laptop is thinner and lighter than the MacBook Air.
MacBook Pro 2016 specs and release date
The new MacBook Pro 2016 will have 13.3-inch and 15.4-inch versions, and will probably sport Intel Skylake processors. Even though previous reports said, they would champion the upcoming Kaby Lake processor, Intel’s chipset will come out in the second quarter of 2017.
However, there’s also rumors that Apple is contemplating the possibility of using AMD for the MacBook Pro. 2017 will mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, and Apple could launch a further MacBook Pro revision with the Kaby Lake alongside the iPhone 8 models.
Set for announcement in October, the two MacBook Pro 2016 variants will be thinner, featuring an OLED touch bar to replace function keys, Skylake processor, fingerprint sensors for Touch ID, USB type C port and Thunderbolt 3.
The iPhone 7 without the 3.5 mm headphone jack sparked concerns among customers, and the MacBook Pro is unlikely to exclude it as well for now. Reportedly, the laptop will keep the 3.5 mm audio jack until the 2018 model.
MacBook Air 2016 specs and release date
Supposedly, Apple will also release the MacBook Air 2016 in the unconfirmed October event. The 13.3-inch Air is said to be the first in a series of larger iterations as, apparently, the company will drop the 11-inch variants for 15-inch versions.
Reports say the newest Air will be even lighter and thinner. It will have a trackpad where users can use the Apple Pencil, and a Skylake processor like the MacBook Pro 2016. Other features include more RAM as well as improved cooling components and batteries.
Source: Forbes