Apple is preparing a new edition of the MacBook Pro: In addition to a 16 “model, the manufacturer is planning Also reportedly the introduction of a new 14 “model. Both pro notebooks also use brighter, higher-contrast screens, as reported by the financial news agency Bloomberg with reference to an informed person. Mini-LED technology may be used for this, as has long been suspected.

More angular Design and Apple Silicon For the case of the MacBook Pro Bloomberg only expects “minor design changes”. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is usually well informed about Apple’s product plans, the new models rely on a more angular design on the edges – similar to the iPad Pro and iPhone 12.

The 2021 he MacBook Pro should be offered purely with Apple Silicon, Apple’s in-house ARM-based SoCs (System-on-Chip), probably in a more powerful version of the M1- Chips with more cores and improved graphics, according to Bloomberg . So far, Apple still has these model series with Intel processors, only the entry-level version of the 13 “MacBook Pro” is already available with an ARM processor – and shows a significant leap in performance. According to both reports, there will no longer be any parallel versions with Intel processors.

Return of MagSafe Apple is also bringing its popular MagSafe charging system back to MacBooks, the financial news agency said and the analyst also agreed. The new connection is similar to the MagSafe port previously installed on mobile Macs and relies on a magnetic connection. If the cable is pulled hard, it detaches from the notebook: This can prevent the MacBook Pro from stumbling, for example is torn from the table via the charging cable and damaged. MagSafe should also enable a faster charging process, it continues. On the iPhone 12 Apple has just introduced “MagSafe”, but as a new system for magnetic accessories and faster inductive charging.

Apple USB-C should remain true to the rest of the connections; charging should still be possible via this. According to the information from Kuo, Apple wants to integrate other types of connections in order to avoid having to carry adapters for many users. However, it remains unclear which ports it should be. In the last major redesign of the year 2016 Apple cut the HDMI port and an SD card slot.

Touch Bar before the end? According to Kuo, the new MacBook An end to the touch bar: the touch-sensitive OLED strip is giving way to the classic function keys, according to the analyst. The financial news agency only says that Apple is also testing models without a touch bar. Apple has the touch bar after its introduction in 2016 Hardly any further development, only functions were deleted – after numerous complaints, the company brought back the Escape key as a physical key. The new MacBook Pro models are expected in the first half of the year 2021, they could appear in May or June

Pro & Cons: War the Touch Bar a good idea? (lbe)