Apple Mac Event

Nicholas Headley

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Apple’s next fall event will be on October 27th, during which Apple is widely expected to unveil the next generation of the MacBook Pro. And it’s about time.

The last time Apple significantly updated its top-of-the-line MacBook Pro was back in 2012. Since the, the laptop has been updated to include a Retina display and a Force Touch trackpad, but a major revamp has been long overdue.

Bloomberg has previously reported that a fall hardware event could include a new iMac desktop, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro laptops, along with a new standalone 5K monitor. And it has been rumored that a new MacBook Pro will be slimmer than the existing one, with a flatter keyboard and a “Dynamic Function Row,” or a touchscreen OLED strip in a lieu of standard function keys. Touch ID is expected to be built into the new OLED strip as well. The MacBook Pro will feature four USB – C ports and a headphone jack, but no HDMI port, no USB – A ports, no MagSafe connector, and no SD card slot. A updated iMac could possibly feature AMD graphic chips, and the 5K display could debut with an integrated GPU. Lastly, it is unclear whether the Mac Pro and Mac mini will be refreshed.    

Sales of Mac computers have often bucked the trend of declines in the PC market over the past few years, but even the Mac saw declines this year. In the second quarter, Mac sales dropped to 4.4 million from 4.8 million for the same period a year ago, with many people likely holding off on buying until the current lineup is refreshed.

The event will be interesting to see, so stay tuned for more information.