Retina MacBook Pro (Photo : Image Credit: YouTube)
The MacBook Pro 2016 on release date is expected to deliver game-changing features that could include native support for the Apple Pencil stylus and password-free unlocking using the iPhone Touch ID feature, new reports said. These likely upgrades are hinted by a newly revealed Apple patent and one of the supposed feature bumps packed with OS X 10.12.
Mac unlocking with iPhone Touch ID
In a report, MacRumors said that Touch ID is likely to be supported in the next OS X version that will power the next-generation MacBooks but the laptops will not have the same fingerprint sensor found on the iPhone 6S, for instance. Instead, the iPhone feature will be used to unlock a nearby MacBook.
"Apple engineers are designing an auto unlock function that would allow an iPhone to unlock a Mac when in close proximity, alleviating the need to enter a password on a password-protected Mac," the report said.
The Mac and iPhone pairing will be made possible through the Bluetooth LE frameworks and will likely be extended to the Apple Watch. MacRumors said that "it's also possible that a connection with an Apple Watch could be used to unlock the Mac even when an iPhone isn't present."
It is understood that the necessary software adjustments will be confined to OS X 10.12, which will be the new operating system that will on the upcoming MacBooks and is rumored too to take on a new name - MacOS.
Apple Pencil for Mac
Another fresh functionality that could be introduced with the new MacBooks is native support for the Apple Pencil stylus. This possibility, according to 9to5Mac, was suggested by a new published Apple patent. The filing envisioned an enhanced version of the Apple Pencil, introduced last year with the iPad Pro, that will work seamlessly with a touchscreen device and a trackpad. The latter can be attached to a desktop or a notebook.
"The version of the Apple Pencil described in the patent is significantly more sophisticated than the current model, having the ability to detect lateral movement in three dimensions, rotational movement and orientation," 9to5Mac said on its report.
It should be made clear, however, that the new features mentioned above are not yet confirmed as part of the MacBook Pro 2016 launch. The Apple notebook line though will certainly run on a new OS X build and one of the most anticipated feature jumps is Mac for Siri or the crossing over of the iPhone digital assistant to the MacBook platform.
On release date, rumored to happen immediately after the Apple 2016 WWDC that kicks off June 13, the MacBook Pro 2016 is seen to present Intel Skylake and the MacOS rebrand as among its banner feature upgrades.
