With new MacBook Pros expected to debut next month, all signs are pointing to Apple's powerhouse laptop slimming down to become something like a beefed-up MacBook Air. 9-to-5 Mac has a new report claiming the next generation Pros will loose not only their optical drives, as had been rumored in the past, but also their ethernet ports.
But while trimming the fat in those areas will indeed make the Pro more like the famously ethernet-and-optical-drive-free Air, 9-to-5 Mac's source says the new MBPs will be distinct in a few key areas.
For starters, USB 3.0 is rumored to be in the mix, which would be a first for an Apple computer. The Pros would still feature Thunderbolt ports, the Apple-approved, slow-to-catch-on alternative, but adding USB 3 would make high-speed data transfer a reality for even more users.
The form factor of the new MBPs is said to be getting an overhaul as well. Instead of adopting the tapered blade look of the Air, the Pros would keep things flat and boxy— just thinner.
And then there's the much anticipated Retina Display. 9-to-5 Mac's source says Apple's insanely sharp display technology is, in fact, headed for the 15-inch MacBook Pro and that it's “definitely the most important Mac innovation in years.”
Apple is expected to take the wraps off the new MacBook Pros at its WWDC event on June 11.
[via 9 to 5 Mac]
