Apple's M6 MacBook Pro Is Worth Waiting For If This Rumored Upgrade Is True
No one would blame you if you decided to pick up the newly refreshed 14-inch MacBook Pro with Apple's fancy M5 silicon inside, though for those who can afford to wait, the next-generation model with an M6 chip may be a substantially bigger upgrade to the MacBook Pro family. Rumor has it the next-gen MacBook Pro will finally adopt a touchscreen display. Not only that, but it will be an OLED panel.
We've heard this rumor before, back when Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo put the world on notice that Apple was planning a major upgrade to its MacBook Pro family, noting that the move will further blur the line between the MacBook and Apple's iPad.
"This shift appears to reflect Apple’s long-term observation of iPad user behavior, indicating that in certain scenarios, touch controls can enhance both productivity and the overall user experience," Kuo said in September.
Adding credence to Kuo's comments, Bloomberg says it's hearing the same thing from "people with knowledge on the matter." Those apparently knowledgeable sources say Apple's next-generation MacBook Pro systems carry the codenames K114 and K116, presumably indicating 14-inch and 16-inch models, respectively, and will have thinner and lighter frames.
They will also sport Apple's M6 silicon, which is not a surprise. The most enticing upgrade, however, will be the OLED panels with touch support, which will finally bring feature-parity between Apple's MacBooks and a litany of Windows laptops and even Chromebooks.
Up to this point, Apple has stubbornly refused to embrace touch displays on its MacBooks, and instead kept the increasingly popular feature exclusive to its iPad tablets (and smartphones, of course). This allowed Apple to maintain two distinct product categories for professionals with the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. However, that's finally going to change, according to the aforementioned sources.
In addition to transitioning to a touchscreen OLED panel on some models, Bloomberg reports Apple is getting rid of the notch that contains the webcam and will replace it with a punch-hole cutout similar in design to the Dynamic Island found on its newer iPhone devices. It's also designing a stronger hinge and retooled hardware in the display to mitigate any play in the screen when tapping.
Unfortunately, the sources indicate Apple is only giving the MacBook Pro a touch display, as it wants to see how the market reacts before considering the same upgrade to its MacBook Air line. As for pricing, the touch models are expected to cost a few hundred dollars more than the non-touch variants, though time will tell.
