New MacBook Pro (16-inch) could arrive this year — but without this crucial feature

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Update on Nov 10: Apple did not reveal a new 16-inch MacBook Pro at its "One More Thing" event, suggesting the largest notebook won't arrive until next year. The company did reveal a new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, both powered by the new M1 SoC.

Apple is expected to release its first laptop running on custom ARM-based silicon later this year, but it won't be the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Instead, the Pro could be updated before the start of 2021 with new Intel-based chips.

Yes, Intel's exile from Apple products might be greatly exaggerated. As discovered by Twitter user @atharvakale343, the latest version of Boot Camp includes references to a 16-inch MacBook Pro (2020).

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The 16-inch model is just about overdue for an update, having last been released almost a year ago. Apple brought an AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU to the MacBook Pro earlier this year, but that version is still being referred to as the 2019 edition.

So the Boot Camp 6.1.13 changelog was either published in error, includes an unfortunate typo, or indicates the upcoming release of a new 16-inch MacBook Pro. Now the question is: if this is a new MacBook Pro, what chip will it use?

CONFIRMED!!16-inch MacBook Pro (2020) and 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020).In a Boot Camp Update@MKBHD @a_rumors1111 @markgurman @mingchikuo @jon_prosser pic.twitter.com/VAN7TsTNUBOctober 23, 2020

Considering this is part of Boot Camp, and Apple said the tool wouldn't be available on macOS powered by ARM, the upcoming MacBook Pro will be powered by Intel processors. In all likelihood, the 16-inch MacBook Pro will get upgraded from 9th Gen to 10th Gen Intel H-series CPUs, a minor but necessary update for the MacBook Pro to compete with the likes of the Dell XPS 15 or XPS 17.

Rumors point to Apple hosting a Mac event on November 17 where the company will reveal the first ARM-based laptop. If this is true, the laptop with Apple Silicon will be the highlight while any 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh would either be announced in a press release or briefly mentioned during the show.

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Phillip became a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.