There is a slim chance that Apple will unveil a new MacBook Pro 2016 model alongside the iPhone SE and iPad Air 3 this coming March 21. And the event next Monday is likely to see a Gold MacBook that will have its release date in the immediate weeks to follow or even days.
While the press invites sent out by Apple carried no glaring clues that point to the tech giant's Mac rollout plans this 2016, there are least indicators that say a new OS X laptop is on the way and real soon. For one, according to Macworld, this is the time of the year that Apple normally refreshes its MacBook lineup.
It will be recalled that the 13-inch MacBook Pro was upgraded in the first quarter of 2015 so there is a precedent of a similar Apple move this year, the publication said. But why the total silence on the matter? The unveiling is likely intended as a surprise and Apple, at the same time, would not want to take the attention away from the next iPhone and iPad.
However, if indeed a Mac will appear in the coming days it will be the rumored 12-inch MacBook that Macworld said in a separate report will run not on Intel Skylake but on a 14-nanometer Core M chip, also from the same chipmaker. There were discussions that the same MacBook will be powered by the upcoming A10X mobile chip but such possibility is quite remote at this time.
The refreshed MacBook is also tipped to deliver on the most of the rumored feature upgrades attached with the device so far - a Track Pad with Force (3D) Touch treatment and a touchscreen display panel that can be detached and function as a tablet. But the latter is a moonshot for now.
A Gold finish would be part of the 12-inch MacBook release, which Macworld said is Apple's way of making the product even more attractive to consumers. In the past years, gold has become the preferred color options of both the iPhone and iPad so it makes sense the flavor will extend into the MacBook line.
And more importantly, the upgraded MacBook could pave the way for the eventual retirement of the MacBook Air line of products, the report said. In its stead, Apple will focus on the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro release date this 2016 that later on would be joined by a 17-inch version.