Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

New MacBook Pro may launch this month with OLED touch bar and no USB ports

Published Oct 18th, 2016 7:25AM EDT
MacBook Pro Late 2016 Release Date
Image: Martin Hajek

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

A new report on Tuesday morning brings good news and bad news for Apple fans eager to finally check out the hotly anticipated next-generation MacBook Pro. The good news is that the updated high-end notebook computer will supposedly still be launching later this month, despite Apple’s silence so far. The bad news, however, is that the late 2016 MacBook Pro will supposedly not include any standard USB ports, which was one of users’ biggest complaints about Apple’s refreshed MacBook — and it remains one of the biggest complaints to this day.

DON’T MISS: A month with the iPhone 7

Apple has never been afraid to ruffle feathers in the short term in order to realize a vision or achieve a long-term goal. The most recent manifestation of that often-painful truth came in the form of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, neither of which include a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Instead, the phones include a 3.5mm adapter that plugs into the Lightning port, or people can choose to use wireless headphones or Lightning headphones instead.

On last year’s MacBook, Apple didn’t even bother including an adapter when it ditched standard USB 3.0 ports and chose instead to use a single USB Type-C port in order to make the notebook as thin as possible. Many fans were miffed by the move, and they’re still upset at having to purchase a hub in order to connect more than one device at a time to the laptop.

It looks like we may soon get to relive that agony if Apple releases its updated MacBook Pro later this month.

Most rumors leading up to the new laptop’s launch have focused on the addition of a new “Dynamic Function Row,” which is rumored to be a long, narrow OLED touchscreen that replaces the function key row. This new screen will display different buttons and controls dynamically depending on which app is in use at the time. According to Japanese blog Macotakara, however, another big change will be the complete removal of all standard USB ports from the new MacBook Pro. Instead, the laptop will sport only USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports — it reportedly won’t even have a dedicated MagSafe charging port.

Apple’s new MacBook Pro will reportedly be unveiled next week alongside a minor MacBook Air refresh, so we shouldn’t have long to wait before we find out whether or not this report is the real deal.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.