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Apple rumored to mass produce new 15" MacBook Pro in April, 13" in June

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A new report out of the Far East claims Apple is scheduled to begin mass production of a new 15-inch MacBook Pro in April, while a 13.3-inch model is rumored to enter mass production in June.

Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes reported on Thursday that, according to upstream supply chain sources, Apple is anticipating higher demand for its upcoming 13.3-inch MacBook Pro refresh than its 15-inch version.

Tipsters indicated an April production schedule for the larger version and a June schedule for production of an update to the 13.3-inch notebook. They said monthly production capacity of the 15-inch MacBook will start out at between 100,000 and 150,000 units and "rise gradually."

Earlier this month, the same publication reported that Apple's new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros had entered production. The new machines are said to lack optical drives while maintaining "more advanced specs" than the MacBook Air.

Sources have separately told AppleInsider that Apple is gearing up to blur the lines between its current MacBook Air models and its pro series of laptops. It's not yet clear, however, whether the company will revise its marketing names for the machines and collapse the two lineups under one name.


An illustration of Apple's notebook lineup planned for the 2012 calendar year.

Reports emerged on Wednesday that Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge chips, some of which are presumably bound for Apple's new Macs, are scheduled to launch at the end of April. Earlier reports have claimed that Apple is aiming to launch the 15-inch MacBook Pro also by the end of next month. Intel has experienced some delays with its Ivy Bridge processors, but it remains to be seen to what extent Apple's schedule will be affected.

Mounting evidence also suggests that Apple is preparing to upgrade its Mac displays to Retina Display quality and could do so as early as the next generation.