New MacBook Pros Launching Next Week - Report

People in a position to know have received word that Apple is gearing up to launch updated MacBook Pro computers as soon as next week. A modified AirPort Express model with new wireless chips is also in the pipeline, the sources said.

A report by 9to5mac cites a certain Mr. X who has been accurate on Apple rumors in the past.

This person reportedly told the blog that the pricing and design of the upcoming MacBook Pros are identical to those of the current-generation models.

However, inside, the systems are beefed up (naturally). There has been ongoing speculation that the MacBook Pro family is getting a processor speed bump and Bluetooth 4.0 technology ahead of the holiday season.

For example, Apple’s online store went down this week prompting such speculation to reignite. When the online venue was put back on track, no changes could be observed. Apple almost always takes down its online store ahead of a new product launch, or upgrade.

The speculation about new MacBook Pros emerged when new part numbers were spotted in Apple’s inventory system. They matched the MacBook Pro family, but they didn’t match any existing models, therefore new systems had to be on the way.

Knowing that Apple will at some point upgrade the MacBook Pro lineup with Ivy Bridge processors and perhaps a slimmer design akin to the MacBook Air, the fall-winter 2011 update would act as a gap filler between the current architecture and the next.

As for the AirPort Express update, the same report says that a modified version of the WiFi base station is on the way packing updated wireless chips but otherwise no aesthetic alterations.

The price will also be the same, according to their sources, but the launch date remains unknown at this time.