The MacBook Pro 2016 on release date will have a Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded on the laptop's power button and will include an OLED touch bar or programmable function keys, a new report said. And launch is likely to happen soon as there as signs that mass production has commenced.
The Next Web reported that there are solid indicators that say large-scale production of the new MacBook Pros is now underway and that the notebooks, confirmed by Apple to be powered by MacOS Sierra, will soon be announced and rolled out. The earliest possible unveiling should be right after the next iPhone, thought to be called iPhone 7, introduction in September or October at the earliest.
The unboxing will then happen in the following weeks, which aligns with the earlier forecast provided by KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo. Kuo said that Apple will refresh the MacBook Pro within the last quarter of 2016.
In a related report, 9to5Mac said that OLED touch bard and Touch ID unlocking will indeed become part of the upcoming MBP 2016 release. "A source who has provided reliable information in the past has informed us that the new MacBook Pro models ... will feature a Touch ID power button as well as the previously-reported OLED touch-sensitive function keys," the report said.
The same report indicated that Apple has set the devices to hit the market fall of 2016 but no specific date has been provided.
Touch ID unlocking for the new MacBook Pro has been mentioned in previous reports but this is the first time that the feature is said to be embedded with the MBP power button. "Incorporating it into the power button would clearly make sense, allowing the same one-touch process to power-on and authenticate as is possible with the Home button on current iPhones," 9to5Mac said.
The tech site noted too that codes seen in the new MacOS hinted of Apple's plans to use Touch ID with its high-end laptop line. The feature first was introduced with the iPhone 5S and is now a standard on later models of iOS devices.
But The Next Web is questioning the likelihood of OLED bar coming to the MacBook Pro 2016. "Our own insiders are less convinced the OLED bar is coming, so we're still dubious," the report said.
Most Apple watchers though are in agreement that the MacBook Pro 2016 on release date will run on Intel's 7th-gen Kaby Lake platform and will come out of the box slimmer and lighter than ever, most likely in 13-inch and 15-inch form factors. The actual availability is seen to happen no later than November this year or in time for the 2016 holiday season.