Most pundits expect Apple’s upcoming spring event to focus on the budget/mid-range trio of iPhone SE, iPad Air and Mac mini. But the latest report suggests Apple may also take the opportunity to expand its premium (or semi-premium) laptop line-up.
According to a paywalled report from the Taiwanese tech news site DigiTimes (citing industry sources), a new model of MacBook Pro “is set for launch in early March”. That fits with the most recent prediction on the date of the spring event; in the past this has often fallen in the second half of March or even early April, but this year is expected to happen on 8 March.
If the information is correct, we could be hearing about an upgrade of the entry-level 13in MacBook Pro, which is in line with previous rumours. In a recent newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote that Apple plans to release a new version of the cheapest MacBook Pro model – equipped with an M2 processor, a standard LED-illuminated LCD screen with neither HDR nor 120Hz refresh rate, and no Touch Bar – this autumn. Maybe plans have been brought forward.
But there is one main reason to doubt the claim: it would be odd, from a strategic perspective, for Apple’s M2 chip to make its debut in just the entry-level MacBook Pro. We’d take the rumour with a pinch of salt.
There have also been rumours of an imminent upgrade to the iMac, but this – and the Mac mini update which is also mooted for the spring event – may yet be delayed until WWDC in June.
This article originally appeared on Macworld Sweden. Translation (using DeepL) and additional reporting by David Price.
