The overall size of Apple’s rumored 16″ notebook will be close to the current 15-incher

The overall size of Apple’s rumored 16-inch notebook will be close to the current 15-inch MacBook Pro models because the machine will take advantage of ultra-narrow bezels to accommodate a 16-inch panel expanded from the original 15-inch one.

Bloomberg authors Mark Gurman and Debby Wu have the story:

Apple is planning a revamped MacBook Pro with a screen over 16-inches diagonally. The bezels on the new laptop will be slimmer so the overall size of the laptop will be close to the current 15-inch models.

The quoted passage rehashes an earlier report by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes, which learned from its supply chain sources that the machine will have “ultra-narrow bezels” to accommodate a 16-inch screen “expanded from the original 15-inch one.” Now we also now that the overall size of the whole computer will stay close to the 15-inch MacBook Pro.

According to the Bloomberg story, the new notebook is part of an effort by Apple to “retain and woo professional computer users.” Prior reports pointed to features like a display panel measuring 16.5-inches diagonally, based on LCD technology and a 3072×1920 Retina resolution, Intel’s ninth-generation processors under the hood, a switch from the problematic butterfly keyboard mechanism to the previous scissor mechanism and other perks.

The thing is launching this fall, most likely at an Apple event in October which should also serve as a launchpad for the updated MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro models.

The Bloomberg story reiterates that Apple is gearing up to launch the previously announced Mac Pro model along with the 32-inch Apple XDR Pro Display “later this year” (Apple hasn’t committed to a firm release dates for the new Mac Pro and external monitor).

It’s unclear if the new notebook will carry the MacBook Pro branding, but I don’t see why not.

That’s especially true with the notebook’s supposed focus on creative professionals and high-end gamers. The 16-inch Mac notebook would mark Apple’s largest notebook since the discontinuation of the 17-inch MacBook Pro in 2012.

We first heard about Apple’s plans to release a larger MacBook back in February, when reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first called for such a product in his research note.

16-inch MacBook Pro concept courtesy Hungarian 3D artist Viktor Kádár