Apple is planning to release a bigger MacBook Pro and a new display monitor, says analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who is quite reliable on leaks concerning Apple’s roadmap. According to the information first released by 9to 5mac last weekend, Apple is not only releasing a new MacBook Pro and display unit in 2019, fans should also expect significant upgrades to the company’s most successful flagship; iPhones, iPads, and AirPods.
On the Mac, which is leading the upgrades, Apple would introduce two new models: a 13-inch MacBook Pro model with 32GB of RAM – a configuration only available on the 15-inch MacBook Pro – and a bigger model with a screen between 16 and 16.5 inches, according to Kuo. Apple stopped selling its 17-inch MacBook models since 2012. Fans that have been calling for the big screen reborn will be delighted to have a 16-inch MacBook. Let’s hope that Apple would trim down the bezel which makes the old model grossly out-of-fashion. It’s not clear if the new MacBook Pro models will be getting the same keyboard or the new butterfly keyboard that many users have been complaining about.
It would be a little surprising if Apple goes for an all-new design, considering that the tech giant in 2016 released the very first Touch Bar models. It took the company over four years to unseat the Retina display models. Meanwhile, the keyboard has been criticized widely as unreliable by many users even though the design is still in a few hands. Apple has always tweaked its keyboard on every spec bump but a more comprehensive solution would be needed this time.
According to Kuo, this year will welcome the long-awaited new MacBook Pro and most importantly, the design will support “easy to upgrade component” feature, though Apple has highlighted this before now.
Kuo believes that Apple will also release an external monitor to mark the company’s return to Pro display market. Apple ended its spell in the monitor market back in 2016 after withdrawing its last monitor, Thunderbolt Display. Details of the high-end monitor revealed it would be a 31-inch 6K monitor featuring a “Mini LED-like backlight design.” Let’s see how this would displace LG’s 27-inch UltraFine which is currently the best option in that space.
On iPhones, Apple will follow its 2018 approach and release three models that will maintain the same screen sizes and Lightning connector. The only new features could be an introduction of three camera sensors at the back of some of the 2019 iPhone models. Also, the tech company could upgrade its Face ID and introduce bilateral wireless charging.
AirPods could get a wireless charging case this year while the 9.7-inch iPad could be upgraded to a 10.2-inch that will feature slimmer bezels and bumped processors.
Apple is also working on a new iPod touch and a new iPad mini, according to the report which also alleged that Apple Watch’s ECG feature will be upgraded.
