New reports suggest that Apple is now working on a new ARM-based chip to incorporate in the 2017 MacBook Pro specs which also boasts of the Touch Bar and Touch ID sensor. It is rumored that the Cupertino tech giant is moving towards independence from Intel. One of the advantages of an ARM-based chip includes a new feature named "Power Nap."
According to reports, if the next-generation MacBook will come with an ARM-based chip, it will mark the start of a new era where Apple significantly reduces its dependence on Intel processors. The chip reportedly went into development last year and it could be similar to the one used in the latest MacBook Pro. The internal part codenamed T310 is being optimized to handle specific low-power mode functionalities which will be used in the upcoming MacBook Pro 2017.
The T310 chip will be used for Power Nap which allows the MacBook Pro 2017 to wake up silently when it is sleeping to sync the iCloud data and upload images to iCloud or fetch emails and calendar events. It eases small Time Machine back ups as well.
Apple laptops will not be available in the market anytime soon as last year's laptops are still fresh. However, rumors suggest that Apple will launch the new MacBook Pro 2017 by mid-2017 nevertheless. Other reports claim that the MacBook Pro production will not start until September, though. Since the innovative Touch Bar technology was added in the MacBook Pro 2016 models, the MacBook Pro 2017 will likely not get a major design change. It is rumored to come with a 15-inch display with 32 GB of RAM and Kaby Lake processor.
The MacBook Pro 2016 comes with the new Touch Bar and was priced at 1,749 USD for the 13-inch model and 2,399 USD for the 15-inch variant. It now sells for 2,799 USD and the MacBook Pro 2017 price is not expected to be much different.