Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Leaked images claim to show next-gen MacBook Pro with OLED touch bar

By

is this the new macbook pro oled touch bar
Cult of Mac
Just days after a prominent tech analyst said Apple was readying an all-new MacBook Pro featuring an “OLED display touch bar,” images have appeared online that claim to show the refreshed design.

The photos, sent to Cult of Mac by an unnamed source who claims to work for one of Apple’s manufacturing partners in China, show a thin strip for the touch bar located in place of the function of keys. It’s been suggested the bar could give user various configuration options that make better use of the space currently taken up by the function keys. In other words, users will be able to use the bar to perform the same operations offered by the F-keys, plus many more.

new macbook pro 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The images also suggest the revamped laptop will come with not one USB-C port, not even two, but a very useful four. If true, it seems Apple may taken on board people’s gripes regarding its decision to include only one port on its newest computer, the 12-inch MacBook, though admittedly the two machines are aimed at different audiences. What the next-gen Pro does appear to have in common with the MacBook is the lack of an SD card slot and MagSafe connector.

Recommended Videos

Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities said last week he expects the tech giant to launch the redesigned MacBook Pro in the final quarter of 2016 – presumably in time for the lucrative holiday shopping season – with the company maintaining screen sizes of 13 and 15 inches.

Besides that intriguing OLED touch bar, Kuo said the laptop could also incorporate Apple’s Touch ID sensor, which would be a first for the company’s line of computers. As you’d expect, the machine should also be lighter and slimmer than the existing model, a claim seemingly borne out by several of the just-released images. An ultra-shallow keyboard similar to that seen on the MacBook could also be part of the package.

Apple hasn’t made any significant changes to the MacBook Pro since 2013, so it seems a safe bet that we really are about to see an all-new design hit stores in the not-too-distant future. For many fans of the laptop who’re hoping to upgrade, the launch can’t come soon enough.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
MacBook Pro 16 vs. MacBook Pro 14: The important differences
MacBook Pro laptops.

MacBooks are typically seen as some of the best laptops money can buy, thanks to their combination of performance and longevity. It's not uncommon for MacBooks to be running flawlessly years after purchase -- so while their upfront costs are a bit steep, they're great long-term investments.

That holds true for the MacBook Pro lineup, which comes in two sizes -- 14 inches and 16 inches. Both are top-of-the-line computers designed to handle pretty much anything you can throw at them, offering access to the M3 chip, vibrant Liquid Retina XDR displays, and plenty of other high-end hardware.

Read more
The biggest threat to the MacBook this year might come from Apple itself
The MacBook Air on a white table.

MacBooks have held a dominant position in the laptop world for the past few years. Though there have been meaningful rivals from the Windows side of the aisle, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro still feel like they hold an unshakeable lead at the moment.

But according to the latest reports, the most serious challenger to the MacBook's reign won't come from Windows -- it'll come from within Apple in the form of some very advanced new iPads.
What's a computer?

Read more
Why you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air
The 14-inch MacBook Pro on a window sill.

There are plenty of reasons to buy a MacBook Air instead of a MacBook Pro. If you want a MacBook on a budget, you don't necessarily need the goodies that come with upgrading to the MacBook Pro.

That being said, I'm going to argue for spending a little more. In my experience, the MacBook Pro offers several distinct advantages that help justify a higher price, especially with the introduction of the more affordable MacBook Pro 14 with the base M3. If you can stretch your budget a bit, here's why I think you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air.
Setting the stage: pricing

Read more