SHANGHAI, CHINA – 12/1 2020: MacBook Pro at an Apple store in Shanghai. (Photo by Alex Tai / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images)
Photographer: SOPA Images / LightRocket
Photographer: SOPA Images / LightRocket
Apple Inc. is planning MacBook Pro laptops upgraded this year with much faster processors, updated monitors and the return of its magnetic charger, according to a person who knows the plans.
The new laptops are planned to come in two screen sizes, a 14-inch model code-named J314 and a 16-inch version internally dubbed J316. Both will use next generation versions of Apple’s internal Mac processors, updated with more cores and improved graphics, the person said, asking not to be identified because the products have not yet been announced.
These devices will mark Apple’s first next-generation laptops to deviate from Intel Corp. components. The company updated its basic 13-inch MacBook Pro with its own M1 chip in November, receiving broadly positive reviews.
In addition to the more powerful chips, Apple also plans to enlarge the screens of its new MacBook Pros with brighter and more contrast panels, the source said. The new Macs will be similar to the current versions, albeit with minor design changes. Apple plans to launch the new MacBook Pros in the middle of the year.
An Apple spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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A major change in new computers will be the way they load. For the past five years, Apple has relied on USB-C ports for power and data transfer on its laptops, making them compatible with chargers from other manufacturers. But now the company is bringing back the MagSafe, the magnetic power adapter which means that any accidental pulling on the power cord would simply disconnect it from the laptop instead of pulling the entire computer. It was a favorite feature of the company’s portable PC line, first introduced in 2006 and, more recently, revived for its latest line of iPhones.
The return of MagSafe with the next MacBook Pros will also allow these laptops to charge at a faster rate, the source said. The connector will look like the elongated pill-shaped design of the older MagSafe port.
Despite moving away from USB-C for charging, Apple will still include several USB-C ports on its future Macs.
In developing its next set of Mac laptops, Apple has also tested versions that remove the Touch Bar from its laptop keyboards. The Touch Bar, introduced as part of the last MacBook Pro makeover in 2016, turns the top row of the function key keyboard into a strip of touchscreen that can display a variety of information and a variable set of controls to adapt applications and tasks. Some professional users said they found this control scheme less convenient than the physical keys.
Apple is also planning a redesigned MacBook Air, but it should not be launched until long after the next MacBook Pros.