MacBook Pro 2016 is slated to a fourth quarter release. (Photo : Getty Images/Sean Gallup)
Release date of the MacBook Pro 2016 is rumored to happen at around the same time with that of the iPhone 7 launch in September but Apple might just opt for an earlier new MBP deployment. The reason: dipping sales of the Mac line, which includes the desktop and laptop models.
In a latest report by research firm IDC, sales of the Mac desktops and MacBooks retreated by more than eight percent in the last 12 months ending in June 2016. Apple only managed to squeeze in the fifth spot of the list, which IDC said are currently the top PC performers.
But as noted by BGR, the latest Mac sales figures painted a gloomy picture for Apple. The tech giant saw its rivals - Lenovo, HP, Dell and Asus - relatively experiencing growth in the past quarters while the company's Mac business appears to be on the decline.
The report came as a surprise as the same report indicated that in the past "the Mac has proven to be exceptionally resilient to overarching market trends." Windows-powered computers have seen shrinking sales numbers in the last few years but the Mac trajectory is going the other way.
The one solid reason cited for the alarming Mac sales decline is Apple's MacBook release cycle. "Part of the problem is that Apple has been extremely slow to update its Mac lineup with anything worth getting excited about," BGR said on its report.
And MacRumors, in a related report, felt the same way. The Apple-focused blog site observed that "Apple has not updated the MacBook Pro in over 400 days." MacRumors added that one likely explanation for the slowing down of the Mac sales is the anticipation for the 2016 refresh, specifically for the MacBook 2016.
Apple is now dealing will lower sales numbers "as buyers await (for the) next-generation MacBook Pro and other new model," the report added.
But with the present development seemingly not playing out on its favor, "perhaps it will compel Apple to step on the gas just a little bit more," BGR said, suggesting that the IDC report could speed up the process of delivering the new MacBook Pros.
On release date, the MacBook Pro 2016 is rumored to unbox with an overhauled design that has not yet seen in the past few years. Apple watcher Ming-chi Kuo said in a recent note that the laptop will come out in 13-inch and 15-inch form factors, slimmer and lighter than ever, powered by Intel Skylake and MacOS Sierra and boasting of OLED function keys as feature upgrades - components that should be enough for the Mac sales to head north by the end of 2016.
