MacBook Pro 2016 Release Date Happening Soon with Skylake, AMD Polaris GPU and Intel Integrated Graphics? (Photo : Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)
Convinced that Apple's scheduled iPhone 7 event on September 7 is already an overcrowded affair, a new report is forecasting that both the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air 2016 will get unveiled in October and the release date to happen immediately. The chance is higher too that the new Macs will run on Intel Skylake and not on Kaby Lake, the report added.
"Multiple reports have indicated that Apple will not, in fact, update Mac hardware at the Sept. 7 event. Between the iPhone, Apple Watch, Beats and iOS 10, it'll be packed enough as-is," Apple Insider said. The tech giant will use a low-key news briefing in introducing the Mac 2016 upgrades that likely will include the desktop bumps, a 5K monitor made by LG and the MacBook Pro and Air, the report said.
In a separate report, AI stressed that it's highly unlikely that the new MacBooks will run on Kaby Lake as recent rumors have suggested. While waiting out for Kaby Lake, which is only expected to become ready for Apple's specifications, could prove tempting pushing back the new MacBooks' arrival further into early 2017 seems not in the option anymore.
"As attractive as Kaby Lake is, waiting until early 2017 for a refresh in the MacBook Pro line is unacceptable for the pro user," the report said.
And if speculations are to be believed, what Apple will unpack with the MacBook Pro 2016 appears nothing short of impressive so Kaby Lake missing in the package for now may just prove not too big a skip. Analysts like Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities are convinced that the new MacBook Pros will be the slimmest and lightest of its kind, which Mark Gurman, another well-known Apple insider, corroborated in a recent Bloomberg news story.
Among the most highlighted feature upgrades for the upcoming devices are the Touch ID unlocking functionality that is built-in with the power button, a dynamic OLED function keys that change it menu of features depending on the on-hand task and Siri for Mac that allows for hands-free control of the next-generation Macs that will be fired up by MacOS Sierra.
USB-C ports are seen too as part of the new MacBook deal and the possibility of AMD Polaris 11 GPU coming on-board was also suggested although the latter might be limited to the high-end 15-inch MacBook Pro form factors. The rest will tap into the integrated Intel graphics for GPU muscle.
As for the MacBook Air 2016, Apple watchers are expecting that the refresh will arrive baked-in only with minor specs and feature jumps. The Air was earlier rumored to have been marked for discontinuation in light of the MacBook Pro becoming thinner and more lightweight than ever.
As mentioned, the MacBook Pro and Air 2016 release is likely a simultaneous affair and penciled to happen no later than October.
