The 17-inch MacBook Pro was one of the best Apple laptops in recent history until it was discontinued altogether. This propelled the 15-inch MacBook to sit at the top of the pecking order. However, reports are now claiming that the 15-inch MacBook Pro will be discontinued. Now, it appears that in a bid to bridge the gap between the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro, Apple will be introducing a 16-inch MacBook Pro and its launch could happen earlier than expected.
As per a research note by TrendForce, by looking at the overall notebook market and the effects of the US-China trade war, the analysts have found that shipments swelled by 12.1 per cent over the previous quarter and in the process, exceeding its initial cautious expectations.
Reportedly, Apple sold 3.2 million units in this time period and registered an overall increase of 1.7 per cent in comparison to the March quarter. A report by BGR states that other leading laptop manufacturers such as HP, Lenovo, and Dell, all recorded growth in the second quarter. Based on these results, TrendForce expects growth in the current quarter as well.
An interesting bit of information is that TrendForce mentions Apple’s upcoming new MacBook Pro with a 16-inch display in the laptop sales estimates for the September quarter; this indicates that Apple will launch the laptop earlier than perceived.
TrendForce states, “According to the 3Q outlook for notebook shipments, demand for Chromebooks remains strong thanks to the back-to-school period; at the same time, we see new products hitting shelves, such as Apple’s 16-inch MacBook, Dell’s products with 16:10 aspect ratio, Asus’s dual-screen laptop, as well as various gaming laptops in increasingly hot demand. Although the actual number of sales will have to wait until the market gives its verdict, these new releases do help push up stock levels.”
Previously, just a single report claimed that Apple would launch its 16-inch MacBook Pro in September; however, these rumours were rebuffed since Apple usually schedules its notebook launch in the October time period alongside its iPad launches.
Launching the 16-inch MacBook Pro in September may help contribute to Apple’s bottom line; however, this launch is mere speculation as of now.
