Rumor: Apple replaces MacBook Pro function keys with OLED screen
Apple would replace the physical function keys above the keyboard on its upcoming models of the MacBook Pro with an OLED screen. In addition, according to a generally well-informed analyst, the new laptops will have a fingerprint scanner for quick unlocking.
The OLED screen sits above the regular keyboard, reports 9to5 Mac based on a report by the usually reliable analyst Ming Ching Kuo of KGI Securities, who in the past often made correct predictions about upcoming Apple hardware. The Apple fan site does not report what the laptops will use the OLED strip for, but it is obvious that it will take over the features of the function keys, such as controlling the volume and brightness. The regular screen would remain an LCD.
It would not be the first product for which the Cupertino manufacturer uses an OLED screen. The Apple Watch also has an OLED screen. The iPhone line of smartphones would switch to OLED screens in 2017, after presumably almost all high-end smartphones are already equipped with OLED displays.
The screen that replaces the function keys wouldn’t be the only innovation in this year’s MacBook Pros. The laptops would get the keyboard with thinner keys that is also in the 12 “MacBook. The Pros, which appear in a 13″ and 15” variant, would also get USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support. users can unlock the laptop with their fingerprint scanner via Touch ID, a feature that has been found on iPhones and iPads for several years now.
The MacBook Pros, which should appear at the end of this year, will run on Intel Skylake processors, according to the analyst, with the more expensive models having AMD Polaris GPUs. There would also be a 13-inch version of the 12-inch MacBook. The MacBook Air would appear in new versions and serve as an entry-level laptop. The MacBook Pro would like to position Apple as a high-end option, with the MacBooks becoming the midrange versions and the Air shifting to the cheapest variants of Apple’s laptops.
12″ MacBook (2015)