Apple’s new MacBook Pro featuring ultra-narrow bezel to accommodate a 16-inch screen is in production with Taiwan’s ODM Quanta Computer as its sole assembler. Expect a unit near the same physical size as the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but with a larger 16-inch display, thanks to significant bezel reduction.
Apple is ramping up production of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, according IHS Markit.
The MacBook Pro should be in production this month, according to a recent email from IHS Markit’s Jeff Lin, citing recent supply chain information.
It’s likely that Apple will drop the 16-inch display into the same chassis as the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. So, consumers will essentially be getting the same 15.4-inch chassis with a bigger display and smaller bezels. Apple may end-of-life the 15.4-inch model, Lin said in an earlier email.
Apple will opt for a 3,072-by-1,920 resolution LCD… The current 15.4-inch MBP has a 2,880-by-1,800-pixel resolution or 220 pixels per inch. Apple will increase the resolution on the 16-inch MBP to 227 PPI, the same as the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Retina MacBook Air, according to Lin.
Whether the September production start translates to an October or November release — or even earlier — is unclear.
MacDailyNews Take: As for expected pricing, look to the current flagship 15-inch MacBook Pro which starts at US$2,399 and can be maxed out at $5,149.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]