Apple Finalizing 16-Inch MacBook Pro Following Samsung Galaxy Book S Launch

Another report seems to indicate that Apple is now finalizing its 16-inch MacBook Pro, just after Samsung announced its Galaxy Book S laptop.

TrendForce analysts, in a report, said they are expecting to see new notebook computers hitting store shelves in the third quarter of the year. One of these products, the analysts note, is Apple’s highly anticipated 16-inch MacBook Pro.

“According to the 3Q outlook for notebook shipments, demand for Chromebooks remains strong thanks to the back-to-school period; at the same time, we see new products hitting shelves, such as Apple's 16-inch MacBook, Dell's products with 16:10 aspect ratio, Asus's dual-screen laptop, as well as various gaming laptops in increasingly hot demand,” the analysts said.

Corroborating reports

This isn’t the first time analysts said they expect to see a 16-inch MacBook Pro sometime in the second half of the year.

IHS Markit’s Jeff Lin previously said Apple will start production of the 16-inch MacBook Pro in September. Lin said the new MacBook Pro will replace the existing 15-inch MacBook Pro available in the market.

The “15.4 [inch] MacBook [Pro] will...end production...Nov’19,” Lin said. “I am pretty sure that MacBook 15.4” will be EOL [End-of-Life].”

He didn’t mention a release date, but said about 30,000 units will be produced every month. He added that it will feature Intel’s ninth-gen Coffee Lake processors instead of tenth-gen Ice Lake processors.

TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, known for his accuracy in terms of Apple leaks, gives a release window. He believes Apple will release the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the fourth quarter of 2019, and will feature a new keyboard that uses a scissor mechanism and is made of glass fiber. The new keyboard, which offers more durability and longer travel, will replace the butterfly keyboard.

An earlier report from Chinese site Economic Daily News tries to give an even more specific release window, and reveals a possible price tag. According to the site’s sources in the supply chain, Apple will release its 16-inch MacBook Pro in October. The site also said the new device will sit between the iMac and iMac Pro in terms of pricing: it will be sold for at least NT$90000 (over $3,000).

Timely

Apple hasn’t announced anything regarding the 16-inch MacBook Pro. The reports, however, are very timely considering Samsung’s recent announcement of the Galaxy Book S. We’ll see how these devices fare against each other when they are released.