Apple News, Analysis and Podcasts

Back in November we delivered the forthcoming MacBook Pro specifications and the radical new direction Apple would be taking the lineup. Since that time, dozens of reports have surfaced with claims of liquid metal chassis to generic MacBook Air-like designs.

Our sources tell us the liquid metal chassis is out, but so is any optical drive. The lack of an optical drive is a radical departure vs the rest of the market, but it is information we believe to be accurate. Apple's optional USB Superdrive should quell any fears for those requiring optical requirements. Dropping the optical drive will extend battery life (larger battery) and allow for a much thinner design. But many more radical design features appear to be arriving in the new MacBook Pros...

As we previously reported, Intel's Light-Peak will arrive in the first-half of 2011, which we believe will launch on the MacBook Pro. New sources are also coming to the table with Light-Peak technology arriving on new Macs relatively soon. Even though pricing for Light-Peak components are not yet know, costs are likely to be in Apple's favor as the company has heavily invested in the Intel-spawned technology. It is also rumored that Sony will be among the first companies following Apple in offering Light-Peak.

The last major change to the MacBook Pro is the storage will default to solid-state, like that of the MacBook Air. The new model numbers showing up in Best Buy systems are one model number short of the existing 13" - 17" lineup. This may be due to Apple keeping a legacy 15" model in production for those who believe they cannot live without an internal optical drive, or Apple moving to simplify the 15" skews. Pricing is slated to remain unchanged, which is quite feat considering the technologies that will be introduced in the new lineup.

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