Apple could be about to release a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro, according to last-minute rumours.
The company’s latest event, named “Unleashed”, is due to happen within hours. It is expected to focus on new versions of the MacBook Pro, in new 14- and 16-inch sizes.
The company is almost certain to reveal a new version of the M1 chip that debuted last year, in the smaller MacBook Pro as well as the MacBook Air and Mac Mini. It has since come to the iMac and even iPad Pro.
While that chip was praised for its performance, it still focuses on battery life and efficiency and does not contain enough power to rival the more professional devices that are used for intensive tasks such as video editing.
The new computers are expected to bring that capability, in a new processor that has been rumoured to be known as the “M1X” and which would take the same foundations but build in more power.
The computers were also rumoured to be getting something of a redesign, perhaps further embracing the flat sides that began with the iPad, came to the iPhone, and were visible in the latest iMac.
The new design could be more radical than that, however, according to a late rumour that suggests they will feature a notch in the top of the display.
As with the iPhone, where the notch first appeared, that would allow the screen to wrap all the way to the edges of the MacBook itself, and do away with the black bezel. The notch then allows all of the components that need to be in the top of the display – such as the camera and light sensor – to sit without being obscured.
Those rumours have only appeared in recent days and there is nothing to indicate they are definitive. They might also be saved for future versions of the MacBook Pro.
Apple might also choose to release the long-rumoured AirPods 3 during the event. Those earbuds – which have been expected for months, but are yet to appear – are said to include some of the features from the AirPods Pro, such as their smaller stalks, but at a lower price.
