After 2016's lackluster release of Apple's latest laptops, it now appears that Cupertino will be coming up with a 15-inch MacBook Pro with 32 GB of desktop-class RAM and a 12-inch MacBook with 16 GB of RAM.
This information comes from Ming-Chi Kuo, analyst for KGI Securities, who regularly gets reliable scoops from contacts within Apple's Asian supply chain companies.
If his word is true, then it looks like Apple is heeding the call of heavy photo and video users who have taken a dislike to the 16 GB hard cap that Apple placed on its latest MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models.
When To Expect New MacBook, MacBook Pro
Aside from RAM, another major upgrade is the adoption of Kaby Lake processors. The ones the company released last fall all run on Intel Skylake processors.
Intel unveiled its seventh generation Kaby Lake processors at the recently concluded CES 2017.
Kuo claims that the 12-inch MacBook will be the first one to carry the new Intel chipset, and that mass production of this model will begin in the second quarter of 2017.
On the other hand, both the 13-inch and 15-inch models of the MacBook Pro will begin their production in the third quarter, with both using Kaby Lake as well.
Advantages Of Kaby Lake Processors
While Kaby Lake is created using the same 14nm process as Skylake, it performs at higher clock speeds than its predecessor. It will also be more efficient when it comes to 4K video handling and high-performance gaming.
If your computing needs include browsing the internet and watching occasional Netflix and YouTube videos, then you probably wouldn't need to upgrade to the new MacBook models equipped with the Kaby Lake processors.
But if you do a lot of video work in your profession, or if you are a video games enthusiast, then Apple's implementation of the Kaby Lake processors should be something to look forward to this fall, as these chips are designed for video.
The new chips have the HEVC 10-bit decode capability, which should allow you to play back 4K ultra HD videos without any difficulty. They also have the VP9 decode capability so you can easily watch 4K videos while performing other tasks from the same computer.
Aside from the faster Kaby Lake processors and increased memory, the features and overall design of the Apple notebooks should be similar to those that were released in 2016, according to Kuo.
