A new MacBook Pro 13 is coming as soon as next month, according to noted Apple leaker Jon Prosser. This latest news follows recent updates to the MacBook Air and iPad Pro, but may not be the last product Apple launches this spring.
According to Prosser, the upcoming MacBook Pro (code-named J223) will be an update to the 13-inch model rather than the completely overhauled MacBook Pro 14, which is expected to arrive as the smaller sibling of the MacBook Pro 16 later this year. Prosser claims the MacBook Pro 13 will be a “refresh” distinct from the MacBook Pro 16, but he didn’t include specifics beyond that.
However, there are a couple of details we can tease out. Apple usually brings processor bumps when it issues minor updates to its MacBooks. The MacBook Pro 13 is currently still stuck on 8th-generation Intel chips, while the recently released MacBook Air is on 10th-generation processors; an update to the latest Intel CPUs therefore seems likely.
Beyond that, respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously predicted that Apple will bring the Magic Keyboard to the MacBook Pro 13 by the end of the second quarter of 2020. Kuo has a proven track record when it comes to Apple leaks and is generally considered to be accurate.
Prosser previously suggested on February 22 that a new iPad Pro was on the way, and Apple proved him right on March 18. He has also claimed that Apple will unveil an iPhone SE refresh this April, and says the company is even giving its AirPower charging mat a second try after it was forced to drop the idea in early 2019.
What about the MacBook Pro 14? We’ll probably have to wait a little longer for that, perhaps until the end of 2020 or early 2021. Kuo has previously claimed the MacBook Pro 14 will launch alongside an updated MacBook Pro 16. Because the 16-inch version only launched in November 2019, we wouldn’t expect an update any sooner than late 2020.
With Apple’s spring hardware event canceled, the company has had to release new products via press release instead. We saw that with the iPad Pro and MacBook Air recently, and the MacBook Pro 13 will almost certainly follow suit, given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has canceled all major tech events around the world.