Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities is out today with a new investor note, offering up some more information about what’s in store for the Mac lineup in 2017. Kuo claims that all MacBook models will be upgraded in 2017 with Intel’s latest Kaby Lake chipset, while there will also be a new 32GB RAM option for the 15-inch model.
Intel just announced its 7th generation Kaby Lake processors at CES and Kuo predicts that the first model that will see the upgraded chip will be the 12-inch MacBook. Mass production of that new machine will begin in Q2 of this year, according to Kuo, while a 16GB memory option will also be added to the device.
Furthermore, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros will start production in early Q3 with Kaby Lake processors.
Last but not least, Kuo claims that Apple will also add a new 15-inch MacBook Pro model to the lineup with 32GB of RAM. This machine, according to Kuo, will adopt desktop memory in an effort to satisfy high-end users. Earlier this year, Phil Schiller explained that Apple’s decision to cap the MacBook Pro at 16GB of RAM was done in an effort to preserve battery life.
In terms of supply chain and shipping performance, Kuo predicts that Mac shipments will grow in 2017 and cites production delays as the main reason for the slow performance in 2017 as demand for the new Touch Bar MacBook Pro is apparently “better than expected.”
The 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar, however, has reportedly performed worse than Apple expected. Because of this, Kuo, says that Apple will cut the price of the machine in an effort to improve shipments.
Kuo’s note doesn’t offer any information regarding the rest of the Mac lineup, such as Apple’s desktop offerings. Earlier reports have claimed that Apple is planning a spec bump for the iMac this year, as well as support for USB-C. That spec bump will likely come around the same time as the 12-inch MacBook is refreshed, but nothing is guaranteed at this point.
Read our full roundup of what to expect from Apple in 2017 here.
