MacBook Pro 2021 still coming this year, reports Mark Gurman

The MacBook Pro 2021 is reportedly on track for a reveal this year, despite a summer showcase seemingly not coming. 

That’s according to relatively reliable tipster and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who claimed redesigned MacBook Pros should arrive before the year is out. If true, it would suggest a Fall reveal is on the cards. 

Gurman made these claims in his ‘Power On’ newsletter, while also stating that the Fall is going to be very busy in terms of Apple product news. And that makes sense, considering September is typically when Apple announces its new line-up of iPhones. 

Rumor is that the iPhone 13 launch event will take place in the third week of September, alongside the Apple Watch 7, an education-focussed entry-level iPad, and potentially the so-called AirPods 3. Though whether this event will also see the launch of new MacBook Pros, including the rumoured MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021, is another matter entirely.

Last year, Apple had multiple events during the Fall, and kept the iPhone and Mac announcements firmly separate. The launch of the Apple M1 chip, alongside refreshed versions of the MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro M1 happened roughly a month after the big iPhone 12 launch event.

In fact, leaker @dylandkt claims that the new MacBooks won’t be coming until late October or early November of this year.  

Apple had a very successful Q4 in 2020, and it’s logical that it may want to replicate that success with a similar release schedule in 2021. Of course, none of this is confirmed, and Apple is nothing if not unpredictable when non-iPhone product launches are concerned.

Regardless of the timing with the new MacBook Pros, we’re expecting to see a 14-inch model, likely replacing the current 13-inch laptop, as well as a redesigned 16-inch machine with a boosted selection of ports, rather than a quartet of USB-C sockets. 

These MacBook Pros are tipped to run what’s expected to be the Apple M2 chip or M1X chip, the follow up to the powerful M1 chip. The return of the SD card reader and the classic MacBook Pro version of MagSafe are also rumored to be on the cards. 

Outside of internal specs changes, we’ve not seen a big redesign of the MacBook Pros for years, so such a refresh feels well overdue. In the meantime, check out our selections for the best laptops you can buy right now.