Apple analyst claims no Touch Bar in upcoming MacBook Pro, MagSafe support and flat chassis design

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed some new details about the upcoming MacBook Pro laptop. In his latest note, he claims that the next MacBook Pro will be the first major redesign of the laptop in five years. It will also be representing a significant upgrade over the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Kuo says that the upcoming device will be available in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes and will also feature ARM Apple silicon instead of Intel CPUs. However, what's interesting is that the upcoming MacBook Pro will be missing out on the iconic Touch Bar, which was once touted as the key feature in the line up. Instead of the Touch Bar, the future MacBook Pro is set to come with physical row of function keys.

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He adds that besides removing the Touch Bar, another major change will come in the form of MagSafe charging support, something that was introduced with iPhone 12 line up. The MagSafe connector will also mean that most users won’t need to purchase additional dongles. 

There has been a change in the chassis design as well. This time it will have squared off sides in both top and bottom halves of the machine. This will be similar to the flat edge design that we have seen in 2018 iPad Pro and later models. This is also the same design that was adopted in the iPhone 12 series. 

Kuo adds that the upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros may launch in the third quarter of 2021.

A lot of information mentioned above falls in line with the recent Bloomberg report. However, the report additionally states that despite moving away from USB-C for charging, Apple will still include multiple USB-C ports on its future Macs.