Apple plans a major MacBook Pro redesign for the third quarter of 2021, according to a research note written by TF International Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo and reported on MacRumors, 9to5Mac, en Apple Insider. Kuo calls it the first major redesign of the MacBook Pro since the launch of the current generation in 2016. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg followed up with a report that confirms many of the same details.
The new MacBook Pro reportedly has square edges like the iPad Pro and the iPhone 12; the current laptop already has sharp edges, but it sounds like the top and bottom panels will also be flatter than before. Reportedly, the new model will be in 14- and 16-inch sizes, both with Apple-designed Arm processors, without Intel options. Kuo says the laptops will use a similar heat pipe system to the current 16-inch MacBook Pro, which offers more thermal headroom and enables higher performance. Bloomberg reports that the new models will display “brighter, higher contrast” screens.
New story: for new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, Apple is indeed planning the return of MagSafe, the end of the Touch Bar (finally), brighter screens, minor design changes, next-generation M-series chips and more. Starting around mid 2021. https://t.co/eL3r06oexW
– Mark Gurman (@markgurman) 15 January 2021
Perhaps most importantly, Kuo believes the new Pro laptops will return to some of the controversial changes Apple has made with the current generation. It is said that the OLED Touch Bar, for example, has been completely replaced by physical function tests. Kuo also says that there will be a wider range of ports that reduce the need for dongles, although he does not touch specifically. And a MagSafe magnetic charging connector is also ready to return. (It’s not clear if this has anything in common with the new MagSafe accessory system for the iPhone 12.)
A new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Apple’s M1 processor was just released in November, but the model otherwise has almost the same hardware as the existing Intel version. If one believes that Kuo believes – and his record indicates that he is – the following models can be a huge improvement.
Update, January 15, 2:45 p.m.: Added mention of Bloomberg’s subsequent report.