MacBook Pro 2019: What to Expect (and What We Want)

But as we look toward the future, the problems Apple needs to solve for its next high-end notebook aren't as obvious. Here's what we think 2019 holds for the MacBook Pro, as well as what we want from the new year's model.

MacBook Pro 2019 Release Date and Possible Pricing

If history is a precedent, the next MacBook Pro should come somewhere after the middle of 2019. For the last six years, Apple's released most of its MacBook Pro updates in June, July or October, with one exception.

Oct. 27, 2016 - The launch of the 4th Gen MacBook Pro, the Type-C-only model sold today, which includes the OLED Touch Bar and 2nd-en butterfly switch keys.

June 5, 2017 - Apple adds Intel's Kaby Lake processors to the MacBook Pro.

July 12, 2018 - The Touch Bar-equipped MacBook Pros gained Intel's Coffee Lake processors (up to Core i9), 3rd-gen. butterfly-switch keys, and the T2 chip for security and storage performance. 

But as for a more precise prediction of when the new machine will arrive? Tim Bajarin, president of the Creative Strategies firm, said that Apple's MacBook Pro schedule is "dependent on Intel's chips," which makes the timing harder to peg, especially because Apple uses specific versions of processors that other companies don't.

If the next MacBook Pro stays with the Touch Bar, Type-C-only format, expect the 13-inch MacBook Pro to stay at around $1,799 and the 15-inch MacBook Pro to start at $2,399. Apple's held to those prices since this design launched, in 2016. 

If Apple redesigns the MacBook Pro, though, expect even higher prices. The 2015 MacBook Pro (which was no slouch) started at $1,299 for the 13-inch model and $1,999 for the 15-inch model.

But it's still hard to gauge how big of an update we'll get this year — or if we'll get any update at all. While MacBook Pro refreshes have happened at least once a year over the last three years, some have been far more miniscule than we'd hoped for.

Avi Greengart, a tech analyst at GlobalData, agreed, noting that Apple's "laptop road map has been far more idiosyncratic" than the company's easily predictable iPhone-upgrade schedule. Just look at the MacBook Air, which went ignored for years. 

"I honestly couldn't tell you if the MacBook Pro is going to get an update at all," Greengart continued, before saying his gut leans toward something slight. "If pressed to speculate, I'd lean towards minor changes or none."

Whiskey Lake Processors

The most likely update for a new MacBook Pro would be a processor jump. The move would bring the superfast macOS machines up to the Intel Whiskey Lake processors, which were announced in August of 2018, the successor to 2017's Intel Coffee Lake chips.
Source: https://www.laptopmag.com

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