Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives has joined leaker Jon Prosser in predicting that the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by Apple silicon will be announced at WWDC21.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- A Wedbush analyst has predicted new MacBook Pros at WWDC21.
- WWDC21 may focus on “privacy and security” updates in iOS 15.
- Unreleased Apple notebooks found in a regulatory database.
Wedbush: new MacBook Pros to be unveiled at WWDC21
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives has predicted in a note to clients, seen by AppleInsider, that Apple’s rumored new 14-inch MacBook Pro along with an overhauled version of the current 16-inch MacBook Pro will be unveiled at the upcoming WWDC21 event.
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MacRumors has discovered another clue that these notebooks are imminent in form of regulatory filings unearthed from a Chinese regulatory database.
The listing, filed on April 14 by Apple supplier Sunwoda Electronic, is for a battery with an Apple-like model identifier A2527 rated at 8,693 mAh/11.45V. This is similar to the current 16-inch MacBook Pro’s battery, which is rated at 8,790 mAh/11.36V, according to iFixit. Sunwoda Electronic is the same supplier that filed the alleged iPhone 13 battery capacities that were spotted in the same Chinese database earlier this week.
This suggests the new machines may use a bit lower battery capacity than the current models. This is most likely the result of the notebook’s rumored flatter design, but Apple’s power-sipping chip should ensure the same run time as the current models, if not much better.
Apple also has a “few surprises” for WWDC21, according to the analyst.
Apple’s surprises for WWDC21
Aside from telling us about the next major versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS, Ives says the company may have a “few surprises” up its sleeve.
For example, Ives says that the upcoming iOS 15 update will include new privacy protections, changes to the lock screen and notification center, and new features in iMessage. He added that a central theme of WWDC would be privacy and security, placing Apple on more of a ‘collision course’ with data-harvesting companies like Facebook.
WWDC21 opens with a pre-recorded keynote on Monday, June 7 that will be live-streamed on YouTube, Apple.com, the TV app on the Apple TV and the Apple Developer app.
The MacBook Pro is getting an Apple silicon treatment
Aside from ditching Intel chips for Apple silicon, those upcoming notebooks should bring back some of the previously removed features, including magnetic charging, HDMI, more ports, an SD card slot,. The much-maligned Touch Bar should be supplanted by a row of physical function keys along with a physical Escape key and a Touch ID button.
Most importantly, both 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros should use mini-LED backlighting that debuted on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro earlier this year, bringing OLED-like performance with high brightness and contrast to the company’s notebook lineup for the first time.
i can confirm macbook pro is coming https://t.co/p2Hzh5TVSm
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) May 24, 2021
As for the CPU, it sounds like the machines may use an improved version of the current Apple M1 chip with additional compute and graphics cores. Specifically, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has learned that the new MacBook Pros will use improved Apple silicon with ten CPU cores supporting up to 64GB of unified memory and your choice of either 16 or 32-core Apple GPU.
Gurman also believes the notebooks could be announced as soon as early this summer.
iPhone 13, Apple Glass and more
Last but not least, the note also expresses Ives’ belief that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 13 smartphone lineup will feature double the storage maxing out at one terabyte. He also predicted that Apple’s augmented reality glasses would launch at WWDC22 while the mythical Apple Car, in his mind, should see a formal announcement sometime in 2024.
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