A new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will debut a new MacBook Pro in the fourth quarter of 2016, which will feature a thinner and lighter form factor, Touch ID, and an OLED display touch bar above the keyboard.
Kuo, via MacRumors:
While long overlooked, the MacBook line is the brightest spot for Apple’s 2016 rollouts. This is particularly true of the two new MacBook Pro models, to be introduced in 4Q16, as they will have a thinner and lighter form factor, Touch ID, use OLED display touch bar (to replace physical function keys, located above the keyboard) and adopt USB- C / Thunderbolt 3.
The new, thinner, lighter design will include the same metal-injection mold-mad keyboard hingers and butterfly-mechanism keyboards found in the 12-inch MacBook. It has been long-rumored that Apple is working to include Touch ID in their MacBook lineups, allowing users to unlock their Mac’s in the same way they currently unlock their iPhones.
Kuo forecasts that we’ll see a 13-inch MacBook join the current 12-inch model. He sees Apple moving forward with three MacBook lines, with the MacBook Air serving as the entry-level model, the MacBook as the mid-level entry, and the MacBook Pro serving as the high-end model.
While Kuo is known to be fairly accurate in his predictions for Apple’s future moves, any reports about new MacBook Pro models is conjecture and rumor until an official announcement from Apple, and should be treated as such.
