MacBook Pro Revamp May Include OLED Touch Bar

For a long time now, the MacBook Pro has undergone very few changes, continuing to sport its fashionable aluminium body, retina screen and one of the best touchpads you can get on a laptop. Apple may be gearing up to make some big changes to their premium laptop later this year according to MacRumours, who cited a research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo as their source.

This new MacBook Pro will be going on a diet compared to it’s older brothers, sporting the thinnest design for the Pro yet courtesy of a new style of keyboard and smaller modified hinges. Set to be available in 13 and 15-inch screen sizes, it will include Thunderbolt 3 ports and taking notes from the regular MacBook, will also sport a USB Type-C port. Whether this means that the popular MagSafe charger will be replaced remains to be seen, but this would be a big change.

More unusually, Kuo asserts that the new MacBook Pro will be replacing the keyboard’s physical function keys with an OLED touch bar, in a move reminiscent of the first generation Razer Blade notebook. Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanners are also predicted to be included in the latest MacBook Pro, with Kuo stating that this marks the “most significant upgrade ever undertaken by Apple”.

If you’re looking to get your hands on one of these revamped MacBook Pros, they are set to hit the market in the fourth quarter of 2016 along with a 13-inch version of the regular MacBook. It will be a while before we see if Kuo’s predictions are correct and they have a good track record in doing so, however Apple are unlikely to release any news on the subject before their annual Worldwide Developers Conference which takes place next month.