Macbook Pro 2016: 7 Key Things to Know [Rumor Round Up]

Apple was expected to unveil its new MacBook Pro range at the recently concluded WWDC 2016, but the company instead focused primarily on software updates for its annual conference for developers.

Considering that the Cupertino tech giant has not updated its Macbook Pro series for some time now, the MacBook Pro refresh are likely to be unveiled in Q4, 2016.

Now that Apple has started pulling out the non-Retina MacBook Pro, it seems like the company is making way for the launch of new version of the Macbook very soon. The new version is expected to more powerful and offer better performance.

Here we take a look at the top 7 rumored specs of the much awaited MacBook Pro 2016:

Change in design!

The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro 2016 are expected to don a revamped design and be thinner and lighter than the current models. The new MacBook Pro models are also expected to feature metal injection mold-made hinges and the butterfly-mechanism keyboards that were introduced with the 12-inch MacBook.

Touchpanel and detachable keyboard:

The MacBook Pros are speculated to an OLED touch display instead of physical function keys, which might be contextual, with buttons that change as per the app that is in use. Though it may not turn true considering that the macOS Sierra interface isn't optimized for touch. Also expected is a detachable keyboard.

Powerful beast with Skylake!

The MacBook Pro 2016 is expected to be powered by Intel's upcoming Skylake chipset to take on its arch rivals powered by Microsoft's Windows 10 OS that have already moved to the sixth-generation Intel processors.

The MacBook Pro with Skylake should boast significant speed improvements and better battery life. Skylake is also good for high speed data transfer, faster wireless charging, and more.

Also, rumored have it that a series of new mobile Xeon E3 chips could potentially be used in the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro. It will feature significant improvement in CPU, graphics, and memory performance.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with Intel Core i3, 128GB memory launched in India at Rs 73,990

If reports are to be believed, AMD has won contract to supply GPU to Apple for its future premium 27-inch iMac and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro versions.

Connectivity ports:

Rumors also suggest that the company may give away with extra connectivity ports, and instead feature a quadruplet of USB-C ports, two on each side, to maintain a thinner body profile.

If Apple uses Intel's Skylake chipset on the new MacBook Pros it might as well use USB-C reversible port and Thunderbolt 3 to provide USB, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, PCI Express and power in a single connection.

Touch ID fingerprint recognition:

The new MacBook might as well feature a dedicated Touch ID button for fingerprint recognition for beefed up security on the Mac.

SEE ALSO: Apple refreshes Macbook range: Here's everything you need to know

Rose Gold Colour variant:

The 2016 MacBook Pros may even come in new color variants, just like its 12-inch sibling. You may see Gold, Space Gray and Rose Gold colour variants of the new MacBook Pros.

Expected price:

The price of current MacBook Pro range starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch non-Retina model, $1,119 for the entry-level 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, going up to $2,099 for the 2.5GHz 15-inch Retina.

Considering that Apple keeps its pricing similar between various gen models, hence, expect similar pricing for the new gen MacBook Pros.