Slimmer 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Pros Reportedly in Production

Claims of redesigned MacBook Pro models continue to surface ahead of the official launch of Intel's Ivy Bridge chips, and Digitimes now reports that slimmer versions of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro are currently in production. Notably, the report claims that the MacBook Pro line will remain distinct from the MacBook Air line, with the new MacBook Pro models losing their optical drives but retaining more advanced specs than seen in the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Pro will no longer have an optical drive enabling thinner designs, the sources indicated. Despite the slim profile, the new devices will feature more advanced specs than the MacBook Air in terms of CPU performance and storage capacity, the sources said.

Production for the next-generation MacBook Pro has already begun with shipments to Apple kicking off in March, the sources noted. Monthly shipments will eventually climb to 900,000 units from the 100,000-150,000 units targeted initially, the sources said.

The report is very similar to one issued by Digitimes several weeks ago, but the new report offers the explicit claim that production on the new models has indeed begun.

macbook pro 13 15 side by side
For roughly a year we've been hearing word that Apple was working on a slimmer form factor for the MacBook Pro. Rumors have continued to pile up since that time, with some suggesting that Apple might gradually unify its notebook line with the release of a 15-inch "MacBook Air" in the near future being followed by a similar 17-inch model a few months later. But rumors have been split on whether Apple's larger notebooks would become true MacBook Airs or if they would retain the MacBook Pro name and more advanced specs while still adopting some of the MacBook Air design aesthetics.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Apple John Ternus 2019

Will John Ternus Really Be Apple's Next CEO?

Friday December 5, 2025 9:01 am PST by
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge. Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...

Top Rated Comments

basesloaded190 Avatar
179 months ago
I can't stand the term 'retina display' its marketing BS from Apple at its best. At first they claimed it to be on par (or better) than typical print resolution (300dpi) and yet the term is still used even for the iPad when its well below the 300dpi mark.

I'd expect noobs in the public to be duped by the term, but not anyone on forums like this one, most of us here are pretty tech savvy.

I can't stand when people don't understand the math behind what apple terms as retina
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tinyluph Avatar
179 months ago
There will be only slim MacBookPro as the news said.

No more optical drives.

You dont need powerful GPU in a laptop. If you are a gamer, you play with iOS or Xbox perhaps even AppleTV will have some games.

Laptops are for adults. Not for gaming children.

Laptops are for adults. That's why I want it to come with inferior hardware so I can use it as a facebook machine. :rolleyes:
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
basesloaded190 Avatar
179 months ago
Theres no math behind it, its purely a marketing term.

This sure looks like math to me.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
espoir Avatar
179 months ago
retina display, please ))
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
imgonephishin Avatar
179 months ago
This sure looks like math to me.

Not only math, but Comic Sans math.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Damien Avatar
179 months ago
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx3yltq8XDM

There you have it. Ivy Bridge can satisfy your gaming needs very well.

Children, try to realize already that it is impossible to put 200+ watts of real gaming power on to those tiny little laptops. How hard it can be to realize that?

Try to put 200w light bulb between your legs and keep it there for 2hrs and then come back telling how nice it feels and how high the FPS is

Stop calling people who want a dedicated graphics card children. You don't know what you talking about. First of all people do a lot of graphics work on laptops, using it as a desktop replacement rather than placing it on their legs. That doesn't work so well with the 17" for example.

Besides if an adult wants to play a PC game or two they are allowed to do so without your patronising tone.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)