Amazon's "Transformer" Phone: Can It Succeed Where Fire Phone Failed? 
Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round 
SK Hynix Eyes Up to $14 Billion U.S. IPO to Fund AI Chip Expansion 
Elliott Investment Management Takes Multibillion-Dollar Stake in Synopsys 
Judge Dismisses Sam Altman Sexual Abuse Lawsuit, But Sister Can Refile 
Nanya Technology Shares Surge 10% After $2.5 Billion Private Placement from Sandisk and Cisco 
Micron Technology Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates, Issues Strong AI-Driven Outlook 
OpenAI Pulls the Plug on Sora, Ending $1 Billion Disney Partnership 
Elon Musk Announces Terafab: SpaceX and Tesla to Build Dual AI Chip Factories in Austin, Texas 
Super Micro Computer Shares Plunge After Co-Founder Charged in AI Chip Smuggling Case 
SpaceX IPO Filing Expected This Week as Valuation Could Surpass $75 Billion 
Nintendo Switch 2 Production Cut as Holiday Sales Miss Targets 
AWS Bahrain Region Disrupted by Drone Activity Amid Middle East Conflict 
AMD CEO Lisa Su Heads to Samsung's South Korea Chip Facility Amid AI Expansion Talks 
Cyberattack on Stryker Triggers U.S. Government Warning Over Microsoft Intune Security 
Jeff Bezos Eyes $100 Billion Fund to Transform Manufacturing With AI 
Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Eyes Helium Supply Risks Amid Middle East Conflict 
Apple is expected to have big plans for its MacBook Pro line in 2021. Well-known TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s recent prediction suggests there will be two new premium laptops from the tech giant that will sport new designs and several specs upgrades.
MacBook Pro 2021: What changes to expect
Kuo’s recent research note, as first reported by MacRumors, indicate that Apple is likely working on two upcoming MacBook Pro with “all-new form factor design.” It was not specified what aspect of the current design will be different, but seeing that a new form factor will be used, Apple fans can expect some drastic changes in the laptops’ appearance next year.
This is not the first time Kuo reported about upcoming MacBooks with new designs. However, this one more specifically refers to upcoming MacBook Pro models as the ones receiving the design overhaul.
Apple is also expected to start using Mini-LED displays on the two upcoming MacBook Pro models, which has been reported about Apple for quite some time now. Mini-LED displays are still based on LCD, however, they utilize up to thousands of mini LED backlight panel, as the name suggests, that drastically changes the quality of the screen. In an earlier report, 9To5Mac explained that this technology allows LCD-based devices to have screens with better brightness and contrast while still being power-efficient.
Not surprisingly, the MacBook Pro laptops are both expected to come equipped with Apple Silicon chips. Whether it would still be the M1 processor, which is already being used by 2020 Mac devices, remains to be seen. Kuo also predicted that the Mini-LED upgrade will be applied to a new MacBook Air, however, a new budget-friendly laptop is not expected until 2022.
New MacBook Pro models’ release date likely in late 2021
The report only said the two new MacBook Pro models will be released in 2021. But considering the number of changes and the level of upgrades expected from the upcoming premium laptops, it seems like it deserves to be the stars of their own show. It can be recalled that Apple usually makes its major MacBook-related announcement in October or November.
Featured photo by Tomáš Stanislavský on Unsplash
