Return of the Mac: Is Apple planning a major reveal for 27 October?

19 Oct 2016

Apple is rumoured to be launching a long overdue overhaul of its Mac products on 27 October. Image: pcruciatti/Shutterstock

At a special Mac shindig in Cupertino on 27 October, Apple is reportedly planning to unveil the most dramatic shake-up of its Mac portfolio in years.

Just in time for sales in the critical Christmas holiday season, Apple is planning to launch new design configurations of its Mac Pro family for the first time in two years.

Earlier this year, reports emerged suggesting that as well as newly refreshed 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Pro notebook computers, Apple is also planning a new design for its desktop Mac Pro that leaves more room for storage drives.

In recent weeks, Apple revealed its new macOS Sierra with Siri and Apple Pay integration, but no new Mac hardware at the time.

Pulp from the Mac rumour mill

Rumours suggest the new MacBook line will come with an extra screen on the keyboard in the form of a dynamic OLED bar that will give extra key functions, depending on what applications you are using.

Other reports speculate that the Pro line could also include support for Touch ID, USB-C and an upgrade to Thunderbolt 3.

Apple’s tendency to jettison ports that have served their time are also expected to continue, following the loss of the headphone jack in the iPhone. For example, the rumour mill has thrown up suggestions that Apple may ditch the USB port.

But then again, only Apple knows at this point.

Macs at an Apple Store in Shanghai. Image: pcruciatti/Shutterstock

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com