Professional MacBook Pro users will be glad to hear that at least one well-connected analyst predicts Apple will offer a new 15-inch notebook boasting Intel’s next-generation Kaby Lake processors, as well as 32GB of “desktop-class” RAM by the end of 2017.
In a note to investors on Monday, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said new 12-inch MacBooks with Intel’s latest and greatest processors will begin mass production early in the second quarter. Kuo says a 16GB RAM option will be available for the new ultralight notebooks. Currently, the 12-inch MacBooks offer 8GB of RAM.
Kuo also predicts new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with the new Kaby Lake processors will begin production in the third quarter. He made no mention of possible processor/RAM configurations that might be made available.
Kuo also mentions a “15-inch MacBook” that will boast 32GB of “desktop-class RAM” in the report. He says the new laptop will enter production early in the fourth quarter. Kuo says this model will be “the most significantly redesigned product this year.”
Other than faster processors and increased memory, Kuo says the specs and design of the notebooks will remain the same as the models released in 2016.
Kuo sees Mac notebook shipments resuming year-over-year growth, with an approximate 10% growth rate, due to the new models. Shipment times should also improve, as the issues that have caused production delays for the 2016 machines are resolved.
The analyst also sees Apple discounting the slower-selling base 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar, to offer it as a replacement for the 13-inch MacBook Air in the MacBook lineup.
(Via MacRumors)
