MacBook Pro line could get a major redesign in 2026 for 20th anniversary

AppleInsider

Apple will update the current MacBook Pro again in 2025, but those waiting for a significant redesign may have to wait a little longer.

The 2023 MacBook Pro was the first to offer a Space Black option.

The company often tweaks the hardware of its MacBook Pro lineup from year to year. Major redesigns are more generational with roughly five years between enclosure refreshes.

The lineup saw a few notable changes since its last major redesign in 2021. In a report on Sunday, Apple is said to be likely to launch an all-new look for the notebook in 2026

The recently-announced 2024 MacBook Pro retains the design and new color option -- Space Black -- of the 2023 models. The ports are still Thunderbolt 4 for the M4 version, but the M4 Pro and Pro Max will get Thunderbolt 5 ports instead, which double the bandwidth.

The 2025 version is expected to keep the same design, with only the processor being upgraded to the expected M5 chip family. The 2026 model, however, is expected to see significant changes from the current design -- changing from mini-LED displays to OLED, and is said to be notably thinner and lighter, according to Bloomberg.

MacBook Pro designs through the years

The first Apple notebook using the name "MacBook Pro" appeared in 2006, and so a 2026 redesign would be an appropriate way to celebrate the laptop's 20th anniversary. By today's standards, the 2006 was thick, boxy, and heavy weighing in at 5.6 pounds.

It was the first Mac notebook to feature the then-new MagSafe power connector, and the first to have a backlit keyboard. It was also the first to sport an Intel-based processor.

The 2006 first-edition MacBook Pro. Image credit: Apple

Just two years later, in 2008, Apple came out with a new aluminum enclosure dubbed the "unibody" design that featured rounded corners, and tapered sides. Uniquely, it had all its ports on the left side, and only the Superdrive slot on the right.

In 2012 -- four years later -- Apple brought out a far slimmer redesigned MacBook Pro that featured a better-than-HD Retina Display. In doing so, however, it dropped the inclusion of a built-in optical Superdrive, which was never to return.

This MacBook Pro was also the first to include an HDMI port, as well as SSD-based storage. It also sported a new and thinner MagSafe 2 power connector.

In 2015, Apple made one minor but significant hardware change to the 2012-design MacBook Pro: it revised the trackpad to incorporate Force Touch, which simulated the feel of actually pressing the surface downwards, replacing that mechanical motion with haptic feedback.

The company revised the design of the MacBook Pro yet again in 2016 to make it thinner and lighter, and introduced a multitouch OLED touchbar -- replacing the previous row of function keys. This new model also included Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports for the first time.

A 13-inch MacBook Pro with touch bar, which could change function by application.

In addition, it had a dramatically larger trackpad, but removed the MagSafe 2 charging port in favor of a fourth USB-C/Thunderbolt port for charging. It also introduced the now-notorious "butterfly" keyboard, but also incorporated a Touch ID sensor for easier access.

In 2017, Apple introduced the second-generation "butterfly" keyboard, and added the touchbar to the entry-level 13-inch model. Apart from the keyboard change, the model was not significantly different from the 2015 version.

Repair data from Apple-authorized service providers suggested that both versions of the "butterfly" keyboard were only mildly more prone to failure than the previous keyboards. Apple eventually settled a lawsuit over the keyboards with a $50 million payout that offered free repairs and compensation to affected MacBook owners.

In late 2019, Apple introduced the 16-inch MacBook Pro, featuring the largest Retina Display the company had yet brought out. More importantly, the company finally gave up on the "butterfly" keyboard design, calling the new version the "Magic" keyboard.

The new model also featured a much higher-fidelity six-speaker sound system and improved mic array for better sound both coming out of the machine, as well as going into it.

The Apple Silicon era

The following year saw the arrival of Apple's own ARM-based M1 processor, and the 13-inch MacBook Pro, alongside the M1 MacBook Air, were the first models to be released with it in November of that year.

Apple revised the now-14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro lines yet again in 2021. These new models brought back the MagSafe charging port, dropping the number of Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports to three. It dropped the Touchbar from the larger model, returning to physical function keys.

The 2021 MacBook Pro returned to physical function keys after user outcry.

For comparison purposes, by this time Apple had managed to shave an entire pound off the weight of the 16-inch MacBook Pro compared to the 2006 15-inch MacBook Pro. That's an average of about one ounce lost per year.

The chassis on the two models used a new design that allowed for bringing back the HDMI port as well as incorporating an SDXC card slot for camera cards. The built-in camera on the 16-inch was upgraded to 1080p at long last as well.

In 2022, Apple revised the design very slightly to remove the touchbar in favor of returning the function key row to the 13-inch model, with both models now sporting the M2 processor. The hardware design was otherwise unchanged from the 2021 M1 model.

If Apple significantly revises the hardware design of the M5 MacBook Pro in 2026, it will be the first big case change since 2021. According to new Apple specifications for the forthcoming M4 MacBook Pro lineup, the only design change in the 2024 model is the new option for nano-texture glass on the display.

Rumor Score: Possible

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9secondkox2

Hope not. It’s pretty much perfection now. 

Hate to see it deviate much. 

Apple designs are like Porsche. Slight changes only. Because everything is just right already. 

charlesn

It's hard to see what "signficant redesign" could even mean. Sure, the internal components will always improve as the tech improves, that's a given. But the design is now so purely driven by function, what could be "significantly" changed? The top half case is already all-display and incredibly thin, so maybe the notch goes away? The bottom half of the case can only be so thin, since a certain thickness in the Pro models is required to accommodate ports and for heat dissipation, so I don't see thickness of the bottom case changing much from where it is now. 

d_2

A near perfect laptop always has room for improvements - Besides processor / internal tech upgrades, I would like to see:
- no notch
- FaceID
- OLED display
- glowing Apple logo

Thresher-the-Shark

I hate to be that guy, but actually the first Mac to have a backlit keyboard was the original 17” PowerBook G4, released in 2003.

canukstorm

charlesn said:

It's hard to see what "signficant redesign" could even mean. Sure, the internal components will always improve as the tech improves, that's a given. But the design is now so purely driven by function, what could be "significantly" changed? The top half case is already all-display and incredibly thin, so maybe the notch goes away? The bottom half of the case can only be so thin, since a certain thickness in the Pro models is required to accommodate ports and for heat dissipation, so I don't see thickness of the bottom case changing much from where it is now. 

Thinner / lighter (without sacrificing performance), better screen.  I will even stick my neck out and say possibly a touch screen.

DAalseth

Rumours like this make the other manufacturers sweat. They know it means they’ll have to put in a lot of work to copy the designs for their systems. 

chasm

Thresher-the-Shark said:

I hate to be that guy, but actually the first Mac to have a backlit keyboard was the original 17” PowerBook G4, released in 2003.

Indeed, but the article is clearly talking about MacBook Pros only. See also the headline and the first sub-headline.

chasm

charlesn said:

It's hard to see what "signficant redesign" could even mean. Sure, the internal components will always improve as the tech improves, that's a given. But the design is now so purely driven by function, what could be "significantly" changed? The top half case is already all-display and incredibly thin, so maybe the notch goes away? The bottom half of the case can only be so thin, since a certain thickness in the Pro models is required to accommodate ports and for heat dissipation, so I don't see thickness of the bottom case changing much from where it is now. 

1. As was demonstrated by the Mac mini redesign, Apple Silicon + inventive thermal management = significantly less volume needed compared to even the M1.

2. This is all based on a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman, who is not always correct … but that said, his track record on sources is among the best. As this article demonstrates, Apple does make changes to the overall design from time to time, and according to Gurman the next housing will be thinner and lighter.

Maybe he’s referring to the use of OLED which would mean the top case could be thinner since no backlight is required, I don’t know. But there is clearly potential in the bottom case to be thinner given Apple’s extremely clever ways with heat dissipation.

chasm

canukstorm said:

Thinner / lighter (without sacrificing performance), better screen.  I will even stick my neck out and say possibly a touch screen.

GAH! Just *reading* that triggers my OCD (wipes screen furiously)

yyzguy

Wasn't there a 17 inch model during the early Intel years?

hmlongco

yyzguy said:

Wasn't there a 17 inch model during the early Intel years?

Yep. Owned one.

charlesn

chasm said:

charlesn said:

It's hard to see what "signficant redesign" could even mean. Sure, the internal components will always improve as the tech improves, that's a given. But the design is now so purely driven by function, what could be "significantly" changed? The top half case is already all-display and incredibly thin, so maybe the notch goes away? The bottom half of the case can only be so thin, since a certain thickness in the Pro models is required to accommodate ports and for heat dissipation, so I don't see thickness of the bottom case changing much from where it is now. 

1. As was demonstrated by the Mac mini redesign, Apple Silicon + inventive thermal management = significantly less volume needed compared to even the M1.

2. This is all based on a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman, who is not always correct … but that said, his track record on sources is among the best. As this article demonstrates, Apple does make changes to the overall design from time to time, and according to Gurman the next housing will be thinner and lighter.

Maybe he’s referring to the use of OLED which would mean the top case could be thinner since no backlight is required, I don’t know. But there is clearly potential in the bottom case to be thinner given Apple’s extremely clever ways with heat dissipation.

Of course, Apple Silicon and inventive thermal management are already core to the Macbook Pro design. The Mac mini redesign isn't a good comparison because the Mini already had a large excess of internal space before the redesign -- the smaller size of the new Mini is more the result of eliminating empty space than anything else. 

Funny thing: you know which Macbook Pros were thinner and lighter than current models? The Macbook Pros that preceded them. And you know what pro users complained about regularly? Crappy thermal management because Apple prioritized a thinner, lighter design over practical use considerations for pros. Not only did the machines run hot, they also throttled down because of that heat. The current thicker and heavier Macbook Pros addressed those complaints and I don't see Apple going backwards just to get itself roasted by the pro community again. 

riverko

chasm said:

Thresher-the-Shark said:

I hate to be that guy, but actually the first Mac to have a backlit keyboard was the original 17” PowerBook G4, released in 2003.

Indeed, but the article is clearly talking about MacBook Pros only. See also the headline and the first sub-headline.

Well, the given paragraph starts with ‘first Mac notebook’ - so obviously it is talking in that moment about any Mac laptops…

dewme

Perhaps Apple will do something with the way the screen attaches to the body. I’m thinking a hinged system that allows you to float the screen at any angle somewhat similar to how the liPad Magic Keyboard works. Maybe a way to rotate the screen? Maybe a way to use the trackpad with Apple Pencil for drawing or handwriting? What about integrating support for cellular wireless like 5G?

I guess that I’m saying that there are a lot of design changes Apple could achieve without significantly altering the form factor. 

escargot

"In 2022, Apple revised the design very slightly to remove the touchbar in favor of returning the function key row to the 13-inch model, with both models now sporting the M2 processor. The hardware design was otherwise unchanged from the 2021 M1 model."

I'm sorry, but this appears to be some sort of fever dream or fabrication on the part of the author.  There was never an M-series 13" MacBook Pro model released without the Touch Bar.  There was an intel era one, but that far predated the Apple Silicon transition.  The 2022 M2 revamp of the 13" MBP had the Touch Bar, just like all the rest before it (other than them adding the escape key back around 2019 or so, when they ditched the butterfly keyboard).

80s_Apple_Guy

For Apple, major redesign today is what the Apple Watch 10 was to the 9. That’s not a bad thing given the maturity of tech and design, but the days of major new designs like the iPhone X and the G3 iBooks are mostly over. There may a minor tweak but we’re not getting anything radical.