Apple 2019 iPad, MacBook Pro Production, Release Dates Leak

Apple will reportedly start producing new iPads this month, and will start producing a new 16-inch MacBook Pro in the fourth quarter this year.

Previous reports cite rumors of a 16-inch MacBook Pro coming at an undetermined date. This information comes from noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who said the Cupertino tech giant is preparing to launch a new MacBook with an “all-new” design and one that might feature a 16- or 16.5-inch display. A report from China seems to line up with his claim.

According to a report from Chinese publication Economic Daily News (translated via Patently Apple), Apple backlight module supplier Ruiyi will start the mass production of a new iPad this month, and will also start the mass production of an all-new 16-inch MacBook Pro sometime during the fourth quarter of 2019.

Ruiyi, which is Apple’s sole supplier of backlight modules for the iPad and MacBook Pro, also announced that it was able to earn revenues amounting to 4.466 billion yuan (about $648.59 million USD) in June, “an increase of 14.7%.” It also said it was able to earn an accumulated 27.84 billion yuan (about $4.04 billion USD) during the first half of the year, “an increase of 26.8%.”

Specs?

Nothing is known about the new 16-inch MacBook Pro except that Ruiyi will supply backlight modules for it. If a report from last week is correct, however, we can expect the new MacBook Pro to feature an entirely new keyboard that’s different from the problematic butterfly keyboard that marred Apple’s name.

Last week, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the Cupertino tech giant is planning on doing away with the butterfly keyboard and replace it with a new keyboard that’s “based on scissor switches.” He added that the keyboard might be made of glass fiber.

Kuo said the new scissor keyboard might be slightly thicker than the butterfly keyboard, but most users won’t be able to tell the difference between the thickness of the two keyboard designs. More importantly, the new keyboard “could improve the typing experience by offering longer key travel and durability by adopting glass fiber to reinforce the keys' structure.”

While Kuo didn’t mention the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the report, he said it can be expected to come on the new MacBook Air expected to arrive later this year. If the new keyboard can be expected to come on this model, it can also be expected to come on the 16-inch MacBook Pro that features an “all-new” design.

So far, there are no reports about a release date for the aforementioned iPad and 16-inch MacBook Pro. Stay tuned for more updates.