MacBook Pro models sharing the MacBook Ultra redesign is, and isn’t, surprising

Source Domain: 9to5mac.com

We’ve been hearing for a long time now that a new high-end MacBook Ultra model with a touchscreen will get a significant redesign with a slimmer form factor. The new design appeared to be one of the things that would differentiate the high-end model from the MacBook Pro.

However, a report yesterday said that an entry-level MacBook Pro set for release early next year will have a new design in line with that of the Ultra …

As things stand, the MacBook Pro is the most expensive laptop in Apple’s range – which now comprises the low-end MacBook Neo, mid-range MacBook Air, and high-end MacBook Pro.

We’re expecting this to change when an all-new MacBook Ultra launches later this year. This will reportedly have four features differentiating it from the MacBook Pro:

OLED screen
Touchscreen
Dynamic Island
Lighter & thinner form factor

However, a Bloomberg report suggests that the latter point of difference may not last for long.

Apple is also preparing a revamped entry-level MacBook Pro, code-named K104, for as early as the first half of next year. The 14-inch laptop will adopt a new design in line with what Apple is preparing for higher-end MacBooks with touch screens.

It’s surprising in one way

The report comes as a surprise in one way. The MacBook Pro doesn’t get design upgrades very often, and Apple typically makes a big deal of them. If an all-new MacBook Ultra model is indeed lighter and slimmer than the MacBook Pro, you’d expect Apple to want to retain this as a point of differentiation.

The idea that an entry-level MacBook Pro could get the same or similar design upgrade so soon after the launch of the MacBook Ultra seems surprising.

But not in another

While many who are loyal to the Mac for a variety of reasons, it’s still the case that Apple isn’t operating in a vacuum. If other laptop brands are producing sleeker models at a similar price point to an entry-level MacBook Pro,…

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