MacBook Pro 2017 release date, specs news: Apple changing to ARM chip, AMD Ryzen?

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks under a graphic of the new MacBook ProReuters / Beck Diefenbach

It's only been half a year since Apple launched its last MacBook Pro but tech watchers are already getting excited about the next MacBook Pro to come from the tech giant and whether we will see its release in 2017. 

Bloomberg says new MacBook Pros should be making their way out this year with an ARM-based chip codenamed "T310" that will support the laptop's power saving mode, particularly the "Power Nap" feature, and the TouchBar. 

Until now, the TouchBar has been separately powered but Enstarz reports that this will change with the next MacBook Pro using the ARM-chip to shoulder more of the low power features, thereby extending the device's battery life.

There are also rumors afoot that Apple will abandon the Intel processor altogether and shift to the powerful yet energy efficient AMD Ryzen 7 CPU or Raven Ridge APU, which combines the Ryzen CPU and Vega GPU. 

Apple has been quiet on when we can expect the MacBook Pro 2017 to be released but KGI Securities analyst Ming­Chi Kuo predicts Apple will role out its updated device later this year, with 12 inch editions going into production in Q2, so around about now.  

This, he predicts, will be followed by 13 inch and 15 inch models entering production in Q3, so some time around July.

The popular Apple tipster predicts that the 12 inch models will come with 16GM of RAM, while a premium 15 inch MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM will enter production in Q4, so around September. 

His tip was that it would be "the most significantly redesigned product this year." 

According to Macworld, Kuo also predicts that the new MacBook Pro 2017 will be engineered with Kaby Lake processors. 

So far, tech analysts and watchers can only speculate on the new MacBook Pro as Apple is yet to make any official announcement.