Redesigned Ultra-Thin 15-Inch MacBook Pro Enters Final Testing - Reports

Apple is reportedly putting the finishing touches on a radically redesigned 15-inch MacBook that is believed to emerge sometime early next year.

The recent discovery of new part numbers in Apple’s inventory system led to widespread belief that Cupertino is refreshing its MacBook Pro lineup ahead of the holiday season.

Some reports hav speculated that Apple will only redesign the chassis of its MacBook Pros when Intel launches its Ivy Bridge processors, which is on schedule for next year.

In the interim, a minor processor upgrade was expected. That happened last week, along with upgraded storage and identical pricing.

Now all eyes are on Apple with immense anticipation of the inevitable - redesign the MacBook Pro family to look like the MacBook Air, give it a new CPU, NAND Flash storage, and perhaps even an upgraded display.

Word on the web is that Apple has now finished work on test units of a 15-inch LCD for an upcoming ultra-thin laptop.

The Japanese source says it’s a new 15-inch MacBook Air, but it’s very likely that Apple is upgrading the Pro lineup with key design elements from the Air family.

The source also points out that Apple’s redesigned MacBook will do away with the optical drive. You don’t need a degree in journalism to connect the dots and see that flash storage is the ultimate aim for every computer vendor.

Discs will soon be obsolete, therefore Apple has no good reason to continue implementing it as a feature on its portable offerings.

According to 9to5mac, the entire system was reportedly in testing in July. By now, it should be in its last testing stages, which means the launch may be closer than originally anticipated.

However, what about the Ivy Bridge CPUs? They’re not scheduled to launch until next year. Could it be that Apple is finally launching a Mac based on the A-series of processors?