New MacBook Pros to feature iPhone-inspired flat-edged design, eliminate Touch Bar and...

[Shawn Knight]

Editor's take: Revered Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a recent note to investors said he believes Apple is developing two new MacBook Pro models packing significant design changes. Much of what is said to be in the works will likely appeal to purists that have disagreed with changes made in recent years.

The new MacBook Pros will be offered with 14-inch and 16-inch displays, Kuo notes, and will adopt a flat-edge design similar to what we have seen on the iPhone 12 and recent iPads. Mercifully, Apple is also planning to ditch the OLED Touch Bar and will instead return to using physical function keys.

Kuo also believes the magnetically attached MagSafe power connector will return on the new systems. What’s more, Apple will reportedly be adding more ports to its systems, reducing the need to use dongles to supplement the lack of ports on current models.

Unsurprisingly, both models will utilize custom Apple silicon based on Arm technology. Neither will have the option to ship with Intel CPUs, Kuo said.

Apple’s new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros are expected to launch sometime in the third quarter. Given the vast makeover and replacement demand, Kuo said total MacBook shipments could grow by as much as 30 percent this year, to around 20 million units.

Image credit: Krisda, Jack Skeens

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https://www.techspot.com/news/88306-new-macbook-pros-feature-iphone-inspired-flat-edged.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

The touchbar never made sense to me.

I took my girlfriend to buy one of these and we got it specifically because it was a "top model" and on sale but the touchbar was just a gimmick when they should have been putting their efforts into making the computer with 32GB of RAM instead of just 16.

I do like the newer models with touch ID.

 

[ypsylon]

Who thought that TouchBar is a good idea was probably drunk and on weed.

I don't know anyone who likes it. Especially devs despise that 'feature'. About time to send it into Apple bin of absurd ideas.

New models need minimum 4 TB4 ports, even better 6.

 

[Farkinell]

Who thought that TouchBar is a good idea was probably drunk and on weed.

I don't know anyone who likes it. Especially devs despise that 'feature'. About time to send it into Apple bin of absurd ideas.

New models need minimum 4 TB4 ports, even better 6.

It smacks of a feature that got green lighted by a bunch of yes-men after a whole bunch of R&D was already spent but no-one had enough balls to say “hold on guys, this feature is actually really ****, let’s cut our losses and drop it”

 

[Cubi Dorf]

Touchbar is not on 13" macbook pro. The M1 running in rosetta is not as fast as most reviewer are say. M1 is faster comparing to old mac with intel when using natively. It not as fast using rosetta for me as intel. I am hope more of my app get native version soon. If it require wireless charge, I would not buying. They should adding additional thunderbolt instead.

 

[Carlos GarPov]

Touch bar is useless. What we need is to convert out mac into tablets!!! like those from MS

 

[Austinturner]

Well if it is true, at least they must have eventually realised their screw ups. Some more user testing might have found those before launch though!

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I'm actually amazed, apple LISTENING to it's customers? What?

 

[Nobina]

They should've just forced devs into making it useful.

 

[bexwhitt]

As Apple's lord and saviour was against touch screen macs they foisted the touch bar on the world instead. Now that macOS can natively run IOS apps the lack of a touch screen is kind of dumb.