Apple's next-gen MacBook Pros 'to be slimmed down'

The success Apple has had with its MacBook Air refresh will likely lead the company to completely redesign its MacBook Pro line in favor of a thinner and lighter form factor. A 15-inch Air-like MacBook Pro and a 17-inch model are in the works, sources say, and may be here in time for holiday gift giving.

The success Apple has had with its MacBook Air refresh will likely lead the company to completely redesign its MacBook Pro line in favor of a thinner and lighter form factor. A 15-inch Air-like MacBook Pro and a 17-inch model are in the works, sources say, and may be here in time for holiday gift giving.


To get to that leaner form factor, Apple will likely ditch the optical drive (perhaps ultimately signaling the death knell for discs). These are still rumors from MacRumors and TUAW , but integrated SSD storage is also expected. The MacBook Pros have been Apple's laptop workhorses, so we can also expect the premium laptops to offer more ports, better graphics, and more storage than the MacBook Air--at a more premium price but with the slimmer design.

It will be interesting to see how thin--and, perhaps more importantly, light--Apple will make the MacBook Pro. We're a bit stumped trying to imagine super-thin and light 15-inch and 17-inch laptops that look like the MacBook Air.

Apple's next-gen MacBook Pros 'to be slimmed down'