Apple plans to redesign its MacBook Pro, backtracking on some of the current model's most controversial features, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
While many of Apple's previous MacBook Pro updates have focused on refining speed and updating the keyboard, the company's newest model will also feature some exterior style changes.
The company is planning to replace its Touch Bar with physical keys, a source familiar with the company's affairs told Gurman.
Apple has been testing multiple versions of the product without the Touch Bar. The OLED Touch Bar was introduced in 2016 and has faced some criticism from users that its gimmicky and can accidentally get bumped. It operates as a control strip at the top of the keyboard that can change its functionality based on the application in use.
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The new MacBook Pro will also bring back magnetic charging, according to Gurman. MagSafe, the magnetic power adapter, was phased out of MacBook models in 2016, though many Apple users enjoyed the convenience of a magnetic charger that spared the laptop from unnecessary drops. The magnetic charger would detach from the MacBook when the cord was accidentally yanked.
Over the past few years, Apple laptop charging cables have relied on USB-C ports, with the latest models free of all other types of ports.
By bringing back MagSafe, the magnetic power adapter, the laptop will charge faster, similar to the MagSafe charger Apple recently unveiled for its iPhone 12. The charging connectors will be similar in size and style to the old MagSafe models, though Apple still plans to include multiple USB-C ports on the device, according to Gurman.
The new laptops will come in two different sizes with a 14-inch screen size and a 16-inch version, Gurman reports. The model is expected to have squared-off edges like the iPhone 12, as well as flatter top and bottom panels, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors on Friday.
Alongside new developments to the laptop's style, the MacBook will also be faster than ever before and will use next-generation versions of Apple's in-house Mac Processors, featuring even more core processors than previous models, according to Gurman's source.
It will be the first high-end Apple laptop without Intel components, as the company plans to either use its own wildly successful M1 chip that was debuted in 2020 or a more powerful version that has not yet been announced.
The computer's graphics and display will outshine previous models. The new MacBook Pro will feature brighter, higher contrast panels, according to Gurman.
Apple is also in the progress of planning a redesigned MacBook Air, but it will not be released until after the MacBook Pro.
An Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
A redesigned MacBook Pro could lead to another Apple buying frenzy, after the company's iPhone 12 release set Apple up for a blockbuster year in 2020, when the company hit a $2 trillion valuation.
