Previous rumors were claiming that Apple may be planning a surprise and unveil the MacBook Pro 2016 at its March event. However, recent speculations about a launch of a new iPad Pro next month make the simultaneous launch of the MacBook Pro to seem not plausible. It is most likely that Apple will launch the new MacBook in the middle of the year instead.
International Data Collection Program Director Ryan Reith declared in an interview that Apple uses the iPad Pro as a "stop-gap" solution, according to BreatheCast. This means that the device is seen as kind of in-between until the high-tech company will give eventually its Mac lineup a more portable design. This is expected to be done by fusing the desktop-level hardware internals with iPad Pro's aesthetics.
In case that Apple is really following this strategy, then it is more plausible that the MacBook is really intended for a mid-2016 release since the recent news of an iPad Pro reveal next month, according to ChristianToday.
According to previous reports, the MacBook Pro 2016 will be powered by the new OS X 10.12 and will run on Intel Skylake. The upcoming line of MacBook Pros and MacBook Air will come in 12-inch, 13.3-inch and 15 inch configurations.
Meanwhile, it seems that the upcoming tablet will be a refreshed one, instead of a follow-up. The new iteration carries under the hood the same features as the current iPad Pro. It will feature an A9X processor paired with at least 4 GB of RAM. However, the new tablet will come with a smaller, 9.7-inch display. The upcoming iPad Pro tablet will feature Pencil support, Smart Keyboard and Smart Connector accessories.
In case that the rumors about the launch in March of the iPad Pro will be proven true, then we can expect that there will be no new MacBook Pro next month. It is unlikely that Apple will launch two products targeting simultaneously the same market since the iPad Pro is considered to be a professional-level hybrid.
