MacBook Pro 2016 is rumored to include an OLED touch panel. (Photo : YouTube/iphone)
Could it be that Apple's plan of doing away with the 3.5mm audio jack involves not only the iPhone 7 but all upcoming devices, the MacBook Pro 2016 including? This is likely is the chief reason that release date of the new MBS was pushed back in the last quarter of the year, a new report said.
Pointing to a recent piece penned by Apple-focused blogger John Gruber, BGR reported that it's possible the MacBook Pro 2016 launch was deliberately delayed by Apple for one major adjustment - the killing of the aging audio jack. The tech giant is rumored to stop supporting the wired audio technology starting with the 2016 iPhone release and the likelihood is the company would want to introduce a new audio connectivity standard all once.
It makes sense then to delay the new MBP debut in order to wait out for the iPhone 7. The latter, analysts said, will touchdown sometime in September while Ming-chi Kuo has recently predicted that the MBP 2016 refresh will happen in the last few months of the year, likely as early as October.
Gruber, BGR said, was wondering why it is taking so long for Apple to unbox the 2016 MacBook Pros. His guess: "Because they're waiting for the new iPhone so that both can go Lightning-for-audio at the same time?"
Or Apple can use the USB-C port to accommodate users' audio accessories. The bottom line, the same report said, is that Apple killing the 3.5mm audio jack across the board seems a done deal. As Gruber noted on his blog, the audio jack will have the same fate with that of the floppy drive. Long time ago, Apple dumped the tech that led to its eventual demise.
And it appears that history will repeat - as the Mac killed floppy drive the same will happen with the ancient audio jack and Gruber has predicted the port will exit the scene the moment the next iPhone is out, followed by the MacBook Pro 2016 launch.
Kuo has indicated in series of reports that the upcoming MBPs have been revamped inside and out. The laptops have been further trimmed down and will shed even more weight. The unboxing will see the 13-inch and 15-inch form factors with the build and design directly inspired by the 2016 12-inch MacBook. The finish will be the same, indicating that the MacBook Pros will also be available in Rose Gold option.
On release date, the MacBook Pro 2016 will power up courtesy of Intel's sixth-generation Skylake processing chip that will work in tandem with macOS Sierra. The latter, reports said, will support Touch ID unlocking via iPhone or Apple Watch and a reconfigurable OLED touch function keys. Siri for Mac is also part of the package.
