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Leaked Macbook Pro Case Rumors Continue; Designs Confirmed

More Rumors continue to trickle in about Macbook Pro Design Overhauls. More sources confirm influence from Macbook Air and iMac in next-gen Macbook Pro Cases.

Rumors have been swirling for months now about new Macbook Pro Case Designs. MacBlogz’ sources have been able to confirm a Macbook Air inspired keyboard that will be used in the upcoming Macbook Pro Design Overhaul. Additionally, both of our neighbors MacRumors and AppleInsider have revealed leaked images of the next-gen MacBook Pro case, which today Apple Insider confirmed as “legitimate.”

“People familiar with the ongoing development of the new 15- and 17-inch professional notebooks are now confirming that an image of an unfamiliar and deconstructed Apple notebook enclsoure published by a Chinese blog on Saturday is in fact that of an authentic next-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro shell.

Although the enclosure shown in the photo appears to be a slightly dated prototype that has somehow found its way into the wild, casings currently sitting in Apple’s labs are said to be nearly identical, as the overall design has not changed.

The photos show a trademark aluminum Apple notebook enclosure that appears slightly thinner than the one employed by the current MacBook Pro. The edges of the casing are also more tapered, somewhat akin to the design of the company’s relatively new 13-inch MacBook Air.

Also visible from the photo is a small rectangular recess on the bottom casing, about three quarters of the way up on the right hand side. People familiar with the design say this recess will be fitted with a latch in the shipping product that will release the notebook’s long and narrow battery cover.” Apple Insider reports.

“A blog entry (in Chinese) claims to have a photograph of prototype case housings of the upcoming redesigned MacBook Pro. The photo depicts what appear to be top and bottom housings of a Mac laptop sitting on a box. The housing resembles the current design of the MacBook Air but with a few notable differences. The logo in the prototype casing, for example, is no longer backlit. The screw configuration of the bottom case also does not match the current Air design, eliminating the possibility that this is just a photo of the Air’s casing. There also appears to be no explanation for the additional circular indentations in the Apple logo, but could presumably be an artifact of being prototype casing. They do claim the battery would be more rectangular than square (not pictured) and the keyboard would be the same as the MacBook Air. The bottom case is smaller than the top case, but the additional space would likely be made up for by a removable battery,” MacRumors reported on July 7th.

And MacBlogz reported the following on June 23rd:

We have received some new information regarding Apple’s Macbook and Macbook Pro models, which have been long overdue for a design overhaul. Although the current case design is nearly flawless on both, rumors have continued to circulate about complete case refreshes for both machines.

We have spoken with a connected source close to us, and they tell us that the Macbook Pro will,
“100% have a Macbook Air-like keyboard. Feeling more like the Macbook’s current keyboard, yet offering backlight.” We asked about the track-pad but they shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. Almost indicating that the current track-pad might be sufficient in Apple’s opinion. We also asked if they could confirm a launch date, to no avail. We think it would only make sense for the Macbook Pro to inherit the Air’s track-pad. And based on Apple’s past history, the end-of-the-summer (right before school starts) launch date seems pretty accurate.

Hopefully Apple is finally getting rid of the hatch closure on the Macbook Pro to fit it with the same magnetic closures that Macbook sports.

An infusion of some of the Macbook Air’s amazing features and design elements into the Macbook or Macbook Pro (hopefully both) will be very welcomed by the industry. We’re very confident in this rumor being true, yet there’s definitely a chance it remains what it is… a rumor.

Update: The above image is an interpretation/mockup. It’s not a true depiction of what the next gen Macbook Pro will look like. Though it may be similar.

The images definitely seem as if they could be legitimate, and Apple Insider is claiming that they are. With all of the recent rumors pointing towards a Macbook Air inspired Macbook Pro, these leaked case images make sense.

Although we cannot 100% confirm that these are in fact Macbook Pro cases and not new aluminum Macbooks, a re-designed Macbook Pro is certainly up next.

via Apple Insider and MacRumors