As is traditional for big Apple events, the Apple online store is down, just ahead of the company’s big “Hello Again” Mac event, to be held at 10:00AM Pacific time. The event is expected to be hosted by Apple CEO Tim Cook and other Apple executives.
The event is expected to feature the debut of new a new MacBook Pro lineup, a refreshed MacBook Air entry, and an Apple TV app that will aid in television show discovery. We could possibly see other announcements and updates. (Perhaps they’ll tell us why the release of the much-anticipated AirPods has been delayed.)
A major update of the aging MacBook Pro lineup has been long rumored, with reports indicating the revamped laptop will boast a number of changes, such as a thinner body, a MacBook-style keyboard, Touch ID support, and an OLED touchpanel replacing the usual row of physical function keys at the top of the keyboard.
Some reports indicate the new laptop will do away with most of the ports present on the current MacBook Pro, including the USB-A ports, the HDMI port, and SD card slot. The new Pro will instead boast four USB-C ports which will support USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3.
A 13-inch MacBook Air is also rumored to be ready to debut, also boasting USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 compatibility. The 11-inch MacBook Air is rumored to be on its way out.
Updated iMacs have also been rumored, which are said to feature AMD graphics chips. Also possibly making an appearance might be a much-rumored 5K display, to take the place of the discontinued Thunderbolt Display. The display is said to include an integrated GPU, which would make it an instant favorite among multi-monitor Mac users. However, both the iMacs and the display are considered longshots.
Apple will be livestreaming today’s event, and MacTrast will provide live coverage of the debut of new Macs, as well as any other announcements, so be here at 10:00AM Pacific/1:00PM Eastern Time later today. We’ll also feature a closer look at everything that was announced at today’s shindig, so be here then. Aloha!
