Apple has begun to introduce new hardware this year with the launch of the refreshed 9.7-inch iPad tablet last week at an education-focused event in Chicago. If the rumors are anything to go by, the Cupertino-based tech giant is about to unveil a brand new MacBook Pro as well. The recently discovered patent filing suggests that the MacBook Pro 2018 will boast a groundbreaking design by having a dual touchscreen display, thus completely ditching the physical keyboard.
Patently Apple was able to obtain a patent application by Apple submitted two years ago, which shows a very much radical setup for the pro-level MacBook laptop. The illustrations in the documents reveal that the new Mac Pro will no longer have the physical keyboard panel and trackpad, as a touch-sensitive OLED screen will be taking their place.
There are actually two proposed designs for a dual display MacBook Pro. The first design has a laptop with the bottom base comprised of a secondary OLED display and a hinge separating the twin OLED panels apart. The second design is quite different as the supposed second OLED display is actually detachable. Instead of being a permanent bottom base of the laptop, the secondary display is more like a separate iPad, somehow resembling the current Lenovo Yoga Book setup.
There could be an issue with the MacBook Pro 2018 using another OLED screen for the laptop's bottom base, as the glare coming out of the primary display will somehow interfere with the viewing. With this, the patent talks about using polariser layers so that the reflections from the first and second displays will be prevented, as well as allowing the users to look at the screen even with their sunglasses on.
Indeed, it is quite hard to imagine that Apple will fully remove the physical keyboard of the MacBook Pro 2018, moreso having a dual OLED display panel. Although, the company might have already laid the groundwork for this huge change as the current generation of MacBook Pro has an OLED Touch Bar that replaced the function keys. Sooner or later, Apple might decide to remove the keyboard altogether.
Aside from a dual-display MacBook Pro, it is rumored that Apple's future Macs will no longer use Intel chips. The company will soon incorporate its very own computer processor to all of its upcoming MacBook laptops, and the shift from Intel processors could begin as early as 2020.
