Apple recently unveiled its new MacBook Pro 2016 laptop that boasts of an innovative Touch Bar and other features. However, the tech giant may be gearing up for a refreshed MacBook Pro 2017 unit with a lower price point, according to a market expert.
MacBook Pro 2016 may be the new laptop of choice for most Apple fans with its thinner design, flatter keyboard and other technological enhancements. However, a market expert has shared a new research report that highlighted what Apple may have in store for its new MacBook Pro 2017.
In the said research report obtained by Mac Rumors, KGI Securities analyst and Apple tech watcher Ming Chi Kuo made mention of a speculated 32GB RAM option for the next-gen MacBook Pro. The new laptop unit will also feature either Intel's Cannonlake CPU or its Coffee Lake chips. However, the inclusion of the said enhancement will depend on Intel's deployment of its latest processors.
Several reports have indicated that Apple may not proceed with the speculated 32GB RAM upgrade for the MacBook Pro 2017. Intel is scheduled to launch its Coffee Lake chips in 2018 while Cannonlake processors for MacBook Pro units are not in the said company's project pipeline.
Meanwhile, the said Intel chips would have improved the next-gen MacBook Pro's specifications. A Cannonlake CPU with an LPDDR 4 RAM would have reduced power consumption by 15 to 25 percent as compared to an LPDDR 3 RAM, according to Kuo.
The KGI Securities analyst also highlighted a possible price drop for the upcoming MacBook Pro 2017, as well as the MacBook Pro 2016. Apple is said to follow a strategy where it overprices "major-upgraded models" during its launch period before implementing price cuts. The said price drop is expected to happen in mid-2017.
In other news, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller shared in an interview with The Independent that online orders for the new MacBook Pro 2016 have exceeded pre-order numbers for previous Pro units. He even described the new laptop as a "big step forward" for the company's Mac line. Schiller added, "We love the Mac and are as committed to it, in both desktops and notebooks, as we ever have been."
The MacBook Pro 2016 was launched in late October with its 13-inch model already available in the market while its Touch Bar model is set for release in late November. Learn about Apple's new MacBook Pro laptop in the clip below:
