Subtle references to a new trio of next-generation MacBook Pros have been discovered in the latest beta version of macOS 10.12.4.
The references, which are actually motherboard identifiers, were first discovered by Pike’s Universum, an Apple computer blog. The identifiers don’t correspond to any existing models, pointing toward the probability that they belong to a new generation of MacBook Pro. They do, however, share processor power management data as current model 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros.
The identifiers, and their likely corresponding future MacBook Pro models, are listed below.
- Mac-B4831CEBD52A0C4C — likely belongs to two new 13-inch MacBook Pro models with no Touch Bar and a maximum Turbo Boost of 3400 and 4000 megahertz.
- Mac-CAD6701F7CEA0921 — likely belongs to three new models of Touch Bar-equipped, 13-inch MacBook Pros with maximum Turbo Boosts of 3500/7000 and 4000 megahertz.
- Mac-551B86E5744E2388 — likely belongs to three new 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar and a maximum Turbo Boost of 3800/3900 and 4100 megahertz.
Pike’s Universum reportedly checked perf-bias settings and concluded that the identifiers likely belong to a MacBook Pro lineup, rather than new iMac or Mac Pro models.
The new MacBook Pro models are likely to be equipped with Intel’s new Kaby Lake processors — which would actually line up well with a previous report that 2017’s MacBook Pro models would see only an incremental boost in processing power. Additionally, a report from last month predicted that new models of MacBook Pro would switch to a new type of display with a higher resolution and better power efficiency. While the next-gen of MacBook Pro is largely expected to be similar to last generation’s, Apple is expected to bump up the available RAM for various models this year, according to famed KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
It’s not currently known when the new MacBook Pro lineup will be unveiled, but in an investor’s note, Kuo predicted that Apple would begin producing a new lineup in the second quarter, before launching the next generation of MacBook Pros by the third quarter of 2017.