It will be an imminent release date for both the MacBook Pro 2016 and the refreshed MacBook Air as Apple is practically confirmed to introduce the next-gen MacOS laptops on October 27. Leaked trademark filings and a new report by renowned Apple watcher Ming-chi Kuo appear to signal that the fresh devices are touching down soon.
According to BGR, new trademark documents discovered in Russia pointed to three portable computers that bear the model numbers A1706, A1707 and A1708. The report did not specify the products but the safe be would be the rumored MacBook upgrades, specifically two variants of the MacBook Pro 2016 in 13-inch and 15-inch form factors and a lone MacBook Air refresh with a 13-inch screen.
Thankfully, Kuo of KGO Securities reported that Apple is indeed introducing three new MacBook models and one with a 13-inch screen profile that likely will be part of the 2016 MacBook Air. "Rather than being a slightly larger version of the current 12-inch MacBook, however, this is likely to be a MacBook Air, which would align with other rumors claiming that only the 13-inch MacBook Air will be seeing an update with new USB-C ports," MacRumors reported.
But Kuo's latest report was dominated by his predictions on the MacBook Pro 2016, which he is convinced will unbox boasting of OLED touch bar to replace the physical function keys, a Touch ID sensor that is embedded on the power button, the combo of USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 connectors and the butterfly keyboard mechanism that Apple first used with the 12-inch MacBook.
There was no mention of the rumored Dynamic Magic (E-ink) Keyboard that seemed to support an earlier that the feature will have to wait until sometime in 2018.
Kuo, however, said that the MacBook Pro will hit the market with "the same panel resolution but better display quality and energy efficiency thanks to an oxide panel," somehow affirming the recent reports that Apple will deliver longer operating hours with the new device for optimized productivity experience.
The MacBook Pro 2016 will also sell in editions with 2TB of SSD storage, which perhaps will be for the high-end 15-inch model. Yet Kuo made no mention of the AMD Polaris 11 GPU that is speculated to be part of the 15-inch MacBook Pro model.
Lastly, Kuo predicted that out of the box the MacBook Pro 2016 will be powered by Intel Skylake processor, working in tandem with MacOS Sierra. The forecast dimmed hopes that Apple will fire up the new Macs, the MacBook including, with Intel Kaby Lake.
The KGI report was unclear on the specific release date for both the MacBook Pro 2016 and MacBook Air but speculations are rife that product touchdown is happening within November or at the start of this year's holiday season.