The MacBook Pro 2021 refresh is one of the most anticipated Apple hardware upgrades of the year. For a while, the new MacBook Pro was the hottest WWDC 2021 rumor. Some claimed that Apple planned to unveil its most significant MacBook redesign in years at the developer conference. But that never happened, which seemed to confirm other reports that said Apple’s major MacBook Pro upgrade would drop only much later this year. An unexpected finding after the WWDC 2021 keynote aired suggested that Apple might have scrapped plans to unveil the new laptops at the last minute.
A brand new report from Asia says that Apple plans to unveil the MacBook Pro 2021 refresh this quarter, pointing to September as a potential launch event.
A new Digitimes report (via MacRumors) says that Apple wants to unveil the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models during the third quarter’s period that’s traditionally reserved for iPhone launch events. It’s unclear whether Apple will unveil the MacBook Pro 2021 generation during the iPhone 13 even. The report makes no mention of the new iPhones. Apple could always unveil the new MacBooks and iPhones at the same time. That’s if the iPhone 13 launches on time this year. On the other hand, other rumors from the same Digitimes suggest the new iPhones will not see delays this year.
Digitimes says that 2021 MacBook Pro shipments will peak in October. That’s another indication that the new notebooks might be unveiled a month earlier than that.
The MacBook Pro 2021 redesign
What’s really exciting about the new MacBook Pro is that we’re not looking at the yearly specs refresh that Apple offers buyers each year. 2021 is the year when Apple will release a brand new MacBook Pro design. If the rumors are correct, this MacBook Pro generation will fix everything buyers hated about the current design. On top of that, Apple will introduce a bunch of exciting features unseen on other MacBook Pro versions before.
The new MacBook Pro models should be flatter, in line with Apple’s current design language for iPhone and iPad. But the more exciting design detail concern the ports. The 2021 MacBook Pro models will supposedly bring back MagSafe charging. They’ll also feature HDMI and SD card readers, according to several reports from earlier this year.
When it comes to new features, this year’s MacBook Pros should introduce a new size. The 14-inch version will replace the 13.3-inch model, just like the 16-inch display replaced the 15-inch option. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros will feature a brand new mini-LED screen, similar to the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro display.
Finally, both MacBook Pros will pack an Apple M-series chip that’s will offer better performance than the current M1 version. The M1 powers four Macs already, including last year’s 13.3-inch version. Several rumors claimed that Apple’s next-gen M1X or M2 chip will power the new MacBook Pro.
