Report: New MacBook Pro models will arrive this year with MagSafe, M1 successor [Updated]

According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple plans to launch new versions of its MacBook Pro laptops “around the middle of the year”, and these machines will experience speed and display improvements, as well as a return to the MagSafe charging design seen on the MacBook. computers for several generations.

Quoting “a person with knowledge of the plans,” Bloomberg’s story states that Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro will have a 14-inch successor, just as the 15-inch MacBook Pro became a 16-inch model when the frame of the screen has been reduced to allow more screen space on a similarly sized chassis.

Both the 14-inch and the 16-inch MacBook Pro are scheduled for mid-year and will incorporate Apple’s custom silicon. The company first introduced its own silicon with the M1 chip included in the November updates to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and low-cost Mac mini. The new machines described today would have a successor to Apple’s M1 chip with more CPU cores and “enhanced graphics”.

While the overall design of laptops is not expected to be significantly different from current models (aside from the screen size on the smaller MacBook Pro), there is a major design change that may appeal to fans of Macs prior to the Touch Bar and redesigned USB-C introduced a few years ago: the return of the MagSafe charger.

In the past, Mac laptops had charging cables that fit easily into their doors, thanks to magnets, and were designed to disconnect without pulling the laptop if someone pulled the cable or tripped over it. In recent years, the company has eliminated this feature from its line, but introduced a technology related to the same name in its iPhone 12 line last year.

According to the report, the MagSafe connector on new MacBook Pro models will have a shape similar to that of MagSafe connectors on older Macs. It will also allow laptops to charge faster than before. The report notes that computers will still have multiple USB-C ports as well.

The new MacBook Pros also have brighter screens with better contrast. This report does not explain how Apple will achieve this exactly, but recent rumors from the supply chain and analysts have predicted that Apple will incorporate Mini LED screens into its future machines, which would likely produce this result.

The Bloomberg source also said that Apple tested versions of the laptops without the Touch Bar, which was introduced on the line a few years ago. The Touch Bar is a touchscreen in the form of a banner at the top of the keyboard that replaces function keys with virtual versions of those keys or other application-specific functions.

Although many applications support the Touch Bar, some advanced users have complained that the Touch Bar is not always as convenient as the physical keys.

Finally, the report ends with a footnote that Apple also plans to update the MacBook Air with a new design, but that it will not arrive as soon as the MacBook Pro is updated. It does not describe any details about the redesign of the MacBook Air.

Update: Bloomberg published an additional report today stating that both sizes of the iMac also need a major update. They would include Apple’s silicon chips, reduced bezels and an elimination of the metal chin below the screen. They would also have a flat chassis, in contrast to the curved design of the current iMac. The report also echoes previous claims that the Mac Pro will see a smaller successor to Apple Silicon that will live alongside the Intel model in the Apple line, and vaguely alludes to a cheaper, consumer-oriented alternative to the expensive ProDisplay XDR monitor from Apple.