“I will upgrade to the MacBook Pro 2016”, “I think Apple will launch it in 2016”, “It’ll be announced at WWDC 16 and shipped a few weeks later”, “Maybe they will do a quiet refresh on their website after WWDC blows over”, “WWDC is a developers conference and has nothing to do with hardware!”.
As rumours flew around for the highly anticipated MacBook Pro 2016 refresh, one thing is for sure – it’s not here yet.
Experts, tech portals and fan boys galore have been gambling for six months on when the new MacBook Pro will be released. As far as we can see, Apple may be looking to shift its remaining stock in the ‘Back to School’ annual promotion before releasing anything new. If that’s true, then a new MacBook Pro 2016 before September is out of the question.
For many, Apple’s next major release may not be the iPhone 7. Instead, it may be the glorified MacBook Pro rumoured to have all sorts of new features. Given Apple’s volatile track record of releases for over sixteen years now; we still have no factual data on trends and patterns for Apple releases. But, we are slowly becoming accustomed to seriously underwhelming releases…
After the release of the second iteration of the MacBook, it seems the MacBook Pro is next in line, Apple have seemingly blurred the lines between the MacBook and the MacBook Air which suggests the Air may slowly die out from Apple’s offerings. The Pro, many would hope is here to stay. And here is a rumour roundup:
With multiple, separate leaks from several different and unrelated sources, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Apple is working on a new OLED touchscreen to replace the function-key row on the MacBook Pro keyboard. At first, supply chain sources hinted at the new features, and then some resources found in the developer releases of macOS Sierra have confirmed support for the change in hardware.
Though no final images have been submitted of the OLED fn keys embedded in to a final MacBook Pro product, a MacBook unibody cutout showed an area for the new OLED concept.
After being introduced to the iPhone 5S, it seems as though Touch ID is here to stay. Fingerprint security on all Apple MacBook lines have missed for years, and many enterprise users have decided to opt for Lenovo and HP alternatives instead.
It is not entirely clear how of if Touch ID will be integrated in to an upcoming MacBook Pro 2016 but early expectations suggest it may be integrated in to the OLED bar or, more impressively, into the trackpad.
Strong rumours, and experts who make a living from analysing Apple, have suggested that the next MacBook Pro is likely to make the switch to USB C. This will follow the pattern of the MacBook, but is likely to disappoint millions of Apple fans worldwide.
Currently, it can be argued that the USB C port suits a portable computer such as the MacBook because:
The MacBook Pro on-the-other-hand has never been given the strict limitation of being super-lightweight (that was the Air). It’s more of a heavy-duty machine used by music producers and engineers who will need multiple ports. The MacBook Pro has grown to be the favourite machine of those who want to connect an extra monitor and plug-in an external hard drive whilst charging their Mac. This simply will not be possible with a single USB C interface.
Given the groans of Apple enthusiasts when support for the Optical Drive was dropped, it seems very unlikely Apple will be introducing USB C as the sole port on the next-generation MacBook Pro 2016. Furthermore, it leaves the last ten years of developing and promoting Lightning out to dry.
Well, there isn’t one just yet. It would be far too easy to guesstimate an exact release date a MacBook Pro 2016 given that hundreds have already tried and miserably failed. For those waiting for an update before purchasing their next laptop – it’s a tough situation to be in. Given the advances in macOS Sierra, there is a strong argument that the next iteration of the MacBook Pro will be available by November 2016 at the very latest.
However even this pessimistic anticipation could fall flat on its face. Apple sales have begun to dry up for the first time in ten years and only time will tell how drastically the Cupertino giant responds.
