It is more likely that the MacBook Pro 2016 release date will happen in the last few months of the year and the rumored feature upgrades for the notebook line somehow supports the timing. The reported switch, for instance, from Intel Skylake to Kaby Lake only pushed back the hotly anticipated product launch from Apple.
While the tech giant has indicated that MacOS Sierra, formerly OS X, will indeed power the upcoming Macs and MacBooks, no word yet on the main engine that will run the devices. Previously, Skylake was a shoo-in but the delayed MBP 2016 rollout seemed to point to Kaby Lake as more favored by Apple. The latter is Intel's seventh-generation chip architecture that is tipped to pack more power, speed and stability and apparently Apple was won over.
And the company thought it wise to wait out. Supply chain rumors indicate that Intel is all set to mass produce Kaby Lake anytime in the fourth quarter of 2016 and has in fact made initial deliveries. The speculation only fired up the belief that Apple will unpack the new MacBook Pros in the closing months of the year.
Apple watcher Ming-chi Kuo, who in the past has issued mostly accurate predictions on Apple products, has affirmed the same release schedule in a recent note. It will be a holiday season debut for the next-generation MBPs, which likely will take place weeks after the September 2016 reveal of the rumored iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Kuo said.
And the analyst stressed that the 2016 MacBook Pro build is a giant leap from the past editions, hardware- and software-wise.
As for the actual feature upgrades to expect, clues are aplenty. Macworld said the use of Kaby Lake hints that USB Type-C ports will be part of the new MacBook package. And as MacOS Sierra will run the show, OLED touch keys and Touch ID unlocking will be included in the deal, the report added.
The chance is there too that the new MacBook Pro Force Touch trackpad will support by default the iPad Pro accessory Apple Pencil, Macworld said pointing to a recently discovered patent that supports that supposed new feature.
But realistically, fans can expect the MacBook Pro 2016 to come out of the box in 13-inch and 15-inch form factors, and are slimmer and lighter than ever, The Next Web reported. The Retina display will bump up to 4K screen resolution and the Butterfly Keyboard mechanism that Apple has introduced with the 12-inch MacBook will also make its way to the Pro lineup.
As mentioned, Apple has set the MacBook Pro 2016 release date in the last few months of the year with November or the start of the Christmas rush as the appointed launch time.