Apple is planning a big design change in this fall's MacBook Pro, according to a new report. And it could launch as soon as September.
The tech giant is planning to redesign the bezel around the MacBook Pro's screen to increase the device's display size. The smaller bezel will allow Apple to increase the MacBook Pro's screen from 15 inches to 16 inches, Digitimes is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of Apple's plans.
Digitimes, which follows the technology supply chain, said Taiwan's Quanta Computer will manufacture the device.
Apple's transition to a 16-inch MacBook Pro screen has been floated in recent rumors. Those reports have said that Apple will unveil the revamped MacBook Pro alongside new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro versions later this year. It's unclear whether the 15-inch MacBook Pro Apple has been selling over the last several years will remain on store shelves or be discontinued.
Whatever the case, a 16-inch screen would be somewhat unique in the laptop market. The 15.4-inch screen is generally the go-to size for laptop screens, but true 16-inch displays aren't common. Apple sold a 17-inch MacBook Pro for several years before discontinuing that model in 2012. It was a popular screen size, but one that couldn't quite keep pace with the 15-inch version.
Digitimes, which has a somewhat spotty track record for predicting future device plans, didn't have much else to add on any other plans Apple might have. But we've already learned from a separate report that Apple may be revamping the 16-inch MacBook Pro's keyboard, ditching the controversial and unreliable butterfly mechanism for a scissor-switch design.
Interestingly, the new keyboard will allegedly be reserved only for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro at first. It would likely make its way to the smaller MacBook Pros and MacBook Air in 2020.
Digitimes' timeframe of a September launch would be sooner than the previous release date we heard of October, which came from Economic Daily News in Taiwan. That same report said that the 16-inch MacBook Pro's price could be close to $3,000.
Until then, expect the rumors to continue to mount.
