New claims about future Mac hardware have emerged after Tuesday's revelations from Apple's Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi, with the latest rumors suggesting that future high-end Retina MacBook Pros may not include a Touch Bar, and the iPad Pro could be used directly as a tablet input device for a connected Mac.
According to a report from OS News, and reinforced by notable developer Marco Arment, the new Mac Pro tentatively slated for a 2018 release only started development a few weeks ago. Apple was allegedly taken aback by poor "professional" response to the 2016 Retina MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, and amped up attention to the segment.
As a result of feedback garnered in the wake of the release, reportedly, Apple's updates to the 15-inch MacBook Pro may not include a Touch Bar. Additional synergistic features between macOS and iOS are also rumored to be in the works, such as "hooking an iPad Pro up to a Mac to use it as a Cintiq-like device" according to OS News.
Apple's examination of the "Cintiq-like" features mirrors that available in apps on the App Store, such as a annual subscription to Duet Display, or Astropad Studio.
In an uncharacteristic reveal of Apple's future moves, on Tuesday Senior Vice Presidents Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi spilled the beans on a new Mac Pro in development for 2018, the evolution of the iMac, and the continuation of the Mac mini.