Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch production will begin soon, the 15-inch model will be phased out: report

Rumors about Apple's new 16-inch MacBook Pro are becoming increasingly important. The latest report comes from IHS Markit, which states that the production of the 16-inch MacBook Pro could start as early as September and that the 15.4-inch Pro will be phased out.

According to the report, the 16-inch model will have the same form factor as the 15.4-inch model, but due to the thinner bezels, the screen will be larger.

In terms of specifications, the report only mentions that the laptop will carry the same Coffee Lake H Refresh Intel CPUs as the 15-inch MacBook Pros of the current generation. While the new 10th generation Intel Ice Lake CPUs are available, they are low-power variants that won't be powerful enough for users looking to buy 16-inch models. Since newer mobile GPUs are not available yet, we expect the rest of the 16-inch model specifications to remain the same for now. Coffee Lake H is currently the fastest option available to anyone.

IHS Markit expects production to reach about 39,000 units per month to begin.

We are still waiting for Apple to step back from its worldwide vision of just USB-C and choose to send the new model with at least one USB-A port. But that's just an illusion right now.

In other Mac-related news, it seems that Apple has been granted a patent for bringing FaceID and a "smart activation" feature to its Mac. This is a feature we have waited a long time to see, and if it works as described , it could be extremely convenient to log in to Apple Macs and for general authentication purposes.

According to 9to5Mac, the patent presentation describes a system in which a Mac enters its Power Nap state, a low power consumption mode where tasks such as Mail and Photos background synchronization are performed without fully waking the device . In this mode, the Mac will track the environment with your camera to verify if a person is approaching the Mac. Once a person is detected, Face ID will be activated to attempt authentication. If authenticated, the Mac will turn on immediately completely. If the person is not recognized, the Mac will return to its Power Nap state.