Apple announced several weeks ago the dates for this year’s WWDC event. The developer conference will be a virtual event for the second year in a row because of the ongoing pandemic. The main keynote is scheduled for Monday, June 7th, when Apple will unveil all the exciting software innovations coming to the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and TV later this year.
The event is rarely used to launch hardware products, but WWDC 2021 might be different. A leaker with an excellent track record revealing Apple’s unreleased products, including iPhones and Macs, says that the company will unveil a MacBook Pro during the show.
When Apple announced the WWDC 2021 dates, it used the image above, prompting many to speculate that Apple might surprise the virtual audience with a smart glasses announcement. On Monday, Apple announced the WWDC schedule, using the following image to tease the event.
Like the first teaser, we’re looking at Memoji characters staring at MacBook displays. But the image might tell pundits not to focus on the glasses. Apple Track speculated that Apple might have hinted at new MacBooks with the image above. It’s not just the MacBook screens, but also the Unicode reflecting from the glasses:
- Hidden in the reflection of one character’s eye are 3 emoji characters referenced via their unicode name
- Fork and knife, sleeping z’s and the MacBook emoji are all shown as rumors have suggested the new MacBook Pro models are coming this Summer
Others have also observed the code:
The reflections in the #WWDC21 graphic are different emoji symbols:
u{1F374} is 🍴
u{1F634} is 😴
u{1F4BB} is 💻All say “true,” so MacBook = true…? pic.twitter.com/1DsUq6yLhf
— Sami Fathi (@SamiFathi_) May 24, 2021
Apple might be just messing with fans, fully knowing that its event teaser images undergo such scrutiny. But Jon Prosser, who leaked various Apple products well before their launch, says he can “confirm” that MacBook Pro is coming.
i can confirm macbook pro is coming https://t.co/p2Hzh5TVSm
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) May 24, 2021
Prosser’s leaked the MacBook Air redesign and Apple Watch 7 in previous days. Earlier this year, he leaked the new iMac redesign, complete with the new color options. He’s been accurate about other Apple devices in the past, including several iPhone versions.
While the YouTuber has not shared more details about the MacBook Pro, we did see plenty of rumors this year from other trusted sources claiming Apple has been working on a massive redesign for the MacBook Pro.
The new MacBook Pro will come in 14-inch and 16-inch versions, with at least one model sporting a mini-LED screen, just like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. They’ll run on new custom M-series silicon that will feature better performance than the M1 MacBook Pro. If that’s not exciting enough, the new MacBook Pros are also expected to bring back MagSafe charging and feature several ports, not just the USB-C connectors present on the current design. The new MacBooks will also have a new keyboard layout, losing the Touch Bar screen.
The rumored 2021 MacBook Pro update seems significant enough to deserve a proper introduction. But previous leaks have offered different launch estimates for the new Pro models. Some reports in the past said that the current chip shortage might impact the iPad and MacBook lines this year. More recently, a report said that Apple might launch the 14-inch MacBook Pro this year, with the 16-inch model to hit stores in early 2022. If that were the case, a summer announcement event might not make sense.
Then again, Prosser’s track record isn’t perfect, and any leaker can make mistakes. We’ll soon find out whether Apple is indeed ready to unveil a new MacBook Pro at a show that’s traditionally dominated by significant software announcements.
WWDC 2021 will stream online at 10:00 AM PDT (7:00 AM EST) on June 7th.
