Photos of New MacBook Pro with OLED Touch Bar Leak, MagSafe Sadly Confirmed Absent

Photos of New MacBook Pro with OLED Touch Bar Leak, MagSafe Sadly Confirmed Absent
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Following in the footsteps of its annual refresh cycle, Apple will almost certainly be introducing a refreshed MacBook Pro sometime later this year. We know, thus far, that the 2016 refresh of Cupertino’s highly-acclaimed notebook computer will come in the usual 13- and 15-inch sizes; and we also know, according to recent rumors, the machines will also feature a few new enhancements — including an OLED ‘Touch Bar’, a thinner chassis, and unfortunately, the disappointing absence of Apple’s lauded MagSafe port.

And, wouldn’t you know — coming to us this morning courtesy of Cult of Mac are a few snapshots reportedly showing the external housing of the forthcoming laptop.

The (somewhat blurry) photos were provided to Cult of Mac by “an anonymous source” with ties to Apple’s Chinese supply chain. As you can see, fairly clearly, from the images, however, the forthcoming MacBook Pro refresh appears to feature a design largely consistent with previous generation models.

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Also, you can see that the system lacks the traditional top row of function keys, which could possibly mean that a touch-sensitive controller module might indeed, occupy the groove in which they’d otherwise be placed. We recently reported that the forthcoming flagship computer might feature an OLED Touch Bar, as well as a Touch ID sensor — so this could definitely be a telltale sign that the current slate of rumors are accurate.

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Turning our attention to the sides of the chassis now, we can see a few notable changes that have materialized. For starters, the 2016 MacBook Pro appears to feature a total of four USB ports — while the headphone jack has been relocated to the opposite side of the machine. The speaker grilles have also been relocated so that they ornament both sides of the keyboard in an apparent upward orientation. This would, of course, be a bit different from the current 13-inch MacBook Pro, which features speaker grilles that are placed within the body of the machine.

Strange as it may seem, Apple also appears to have axed it’s highly-renowned and extremely intuitive MagSafe power adapter, perhaps for some alternative, still unbeknownst charging method. Why exactly the company decided to ditch it is beyond us. Most MacBook users will tell you MagSafe is easy-to-use, and super secure, yet weak enough to prevent accidental yanking or disconnecting of the power cable.

Earlier this year, well-connected KGI Securities analyst, Ming Chi Kuo, in a research note indicated that Apple’s 2016 MacBooks would be perhaps a bit thinner than the current generation. However, while they may very well end up featuring the most robust overhaul in the last four years (as Kuo predicted), it appears from the images that Apple has borrowed largely from the design themes of its current generation MacBooks.

Of course, with Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference right around the corner, we’re fairly certain it won’t be too long until we find out exactly what the company has in store for us.

Are you planning on picking up a new MacBook Pro this year? Let us know in the comments.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]

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