14 DAY TRIAL // Sources in the Far East handling prototype components and casings for the a new MacBook Pro have confirmed Apple’s rumored plans to take the notebook industry by storm with a 15-inch Retina display, support for USB 3.0, and a killer design made possible through the exclusion of the optical disc drive.
Contrary to most rumors on the matter, Apple has not chipped away at the MacBook Pro’s enclosure to make it look like the MacBook Air, these sources told 9to5mac.
Instead, “the prototype design is a flattened, yet more robust, version of the late-2008 design,” with no tapering.
The reduced size was possible through the exclusion of the optical disc drive, these sources added, a widely anticipated move on behalf of the Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc.
What the 15-inch Pro does adopt from the Air is the tweaked keyboard design with the power button on the keyboard itself, replacing the disc eject key.
The ports remain in their current positions on the left and right sides of the chassis. These reportedly include a charging port, two USB ports, and two audio in/out-sized ports on the left, and an extra USB port, an SD card slot, and "cutouts for two Thunderbolt-sized ports" on the right. The battery meter is on the left side.
The report notes that “these prototype unibodies lack room for Ethernet,” adding that Apple sells solutions to this problem - adapters.
Arguably, the most important new feature will be the display, which the sources in question described as “jaw-dropping” and “definitely the most important Mac innovation in years.”
Users will not only be able to adjust the sharpness and image sizes to their liking, they’ll be doing so with settings like “big, small, or optimal,” rather than resolutions represented by intimidating numbers.
Different variations of the computer will ship with quad-core Ivy Bridge processors and the latest innovations in mobile graphics, the report adds.
The new 15-inch MacBook Pro is reportedly coming this summer.