Apple has recently emphasized its intentions to focus upcoming devices on professionals and some are interpreting this to mean that the next MacBook Pro will have few major design changes and instead be all about the specs on the inside.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said in a shareholders meeting at the company's Cupertino headquarters that the focus would be very much on the pro area.
"You will see us do more in the pro area. The pro area is very important to us. The creative area is very important to us in particular," he said. "Don't think something we've done or something that we're doing that isn't visible yet is a signal that our priorities are elsewhere."
So, while his comments are not very specific, some Apple watchers are taking them to mean that we can expect a future MacBook Pro to really deliver the goods.
It might be a little early to be anticipating a release of another MacBook Pro, given that the most recent iteration only just launched in October 2016.
But there is already speculation that a new version will be out before the end of this year, with the money on some time around October, as this would be in accordance with the release timeline of the MacBook Pro 2016.
Expectations are also high that Apple will upgrade the MacBook Pro 2017 to the more powerful Kaby Lake processor. Some Apple fans were left disappointed when Apple launched the MacBook 2016 with the less powerful Skylake chip instead.
If Apple does go with Kaby Lake then we can expect the next MacBook Pro to have a much more powerful battery life, perhaps even surpassing 10 hours, while delivering much better performance.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously predicted that Apple would be bringing out 12-inch, 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros this year. He said production was due to begin on the 12-inch model in Q2, with the 13-inch and 15-inch models following around July.
Interestingly, he tipped that the 15-inch version would offer 32GB specifically to appeal to high-end users - the current MacBook Pros are 16GB.
University Herald reported that the Touch Bar may also be upgraded to include more professional features.
Regardless of the rumors, Apple is certainly keeping us on our toes with its silence.
