Mike Wuerthele
A new research note penned by Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple's long-awaited professional-grade display will arrive in the next few months, and the rumored MacBook Pro with larger display won't arrive until the first half of 2021 — and both will incorporate mini LED backlighting.
Ming-Chi Kuo doesn't delve into specs on the display in his latest note, declaring the size, and mini LED backlight specifications. Kuo expects that the display will have some form of wide color gamut, and high contrast.
His reiteration of the MacBook Pro rumor also says that it will incorporate mini LED backlighting, but has more to do with timing for release, than anything else. Less certain in the report is a migration of the technology to a large-format iPad, but that is less clear in the note.
Further, iPad models featuring mini LED backlighting are expected to land at the end of 2020 or early 2021.
Notably, Kuo believes Apple's standalone monitor will employ "mini LED-like" technology, meaning the LED backlighting chips will be larger than a "true" mini LED array. The MacBook Pro and iPad units will boast the smaller mini LED chip sizes, allowing for about 15 to 25 times the number of total chips per display compared to the 31.6-inch monitor.
Kuo dropped the tidbit in a research note on Feb. 17 that included information regarding a range of products. No further details on the larger MacBook Pro were offered in the note, nor is there much in Monday's note, beyond advice about what mini LED manufacturers readers should invest in.
That mini LED MacBook Pro will boast a screen measuring between 16 and 16.5 inches on the diagonal, Kuo predicted earlier, with Monday's note suggesting that up to 17 inches is possible. If true, the MacBook Pro line will see its first significant bump in display size since Apple discontinued the 17-inch model in 2012. Currently, the largest MacBook Pro on offer features a 15-inch Retina display packing a resolution of 2,880-by-1,800 pixels.
In the same research report from February, the well-connected analyst also dished details on plans for a new "easy-to-upgrade" Mac Pro, a 6K Apple display, three new iPads and three new iPhones.
At present, it isn't clear if Monday's note is discussing the rumored 6K display, or another resolution.
The note was originally obtained by the Economic Daily News who are more focused on the supply chain implications of such a move.
Updated with details on iPad and mini LED sizes.
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64 Comments
It's gonna take that long to fix a keyboard issue that was never broken in the first place 'till they broke it?
And ANOTHER two years before Apple offers ANY notebook many of feel we can buy with confidence that it'll be usable for us?
I may have to start looking for the last of the MB Airs before they got caught up in butterfly gate. And give an Win 10 machine a try.
Honest, Tim, I've had $3,000 burning a hole in my pocket for over three years now....! This is getting beyond farcial. Why has Apple just kept doubling down on the worst KB they've ever offered (worst on multiple dimensions for many of us, though yeah I know, it works for many, noise and all. But "works for many" should never be Apple's goal.)
I'm starting to dread the release of the pro display. I need a new display bad and everything on the market is garbage, but I also don't need or want some monster that costs as much as an iMac. It sounds like they're over-speccing hard, for my purposes anyway.
The keyboard is definitely an issue but I just want that horrible Touch Bar gone.
Cannot wait for the 17” MacBook Pro.
My first Mac ever was a maxed out “last of the Mohicans” 17” PowerBook and it was magic.
That thing lasted me from Winter 2005 - Winter 2015 and ran like a champ. The only thing that stopped me abusing it further were software updates that no longer supported the G4 architecture.
My new 15” MBP is great, but dang, I wish it had more real estate in the display. My iMac 5k takes care of that nicely, but I am one of those mobile users that doesn’t like to sacrifice when I am on the go. Give me my fully powered workhorse with a genuinely great display that I can take with me. There are enough models in the lineup to satisfy the folks who only want the smallest form factor. None to satisfy the no compromises crowd.
Can’t. Wait.