Skylake Mac **tebooks May See Staggered Launch in 2016, Led by MacBook and 13" MacBoo
 

Apple is expected to refresh its MacBook lineup in 2016 with Intel's faster Skylake processors and Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C, and supply chain sources **w indicate the updated **tebooks may see a staggered launch throughout the year.

The company's manufacturing partners are expected to start producing new 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro models around late March or early April, followed by 15-inch MacBook Pro models in the third quarter, according to the sometimes-reliable Taiwanese website DigiTimes.

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If accurate, new 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro models could debut at Apple's rumored March media event, alongside the new 4-inch iPhone, iPad Air 3, and Apple Watch updates, or at WWDC, likely scheduled for mid-June. Smaller updates could also be an**unced at any time via press release.

The larger 15-inch MacBook Pro may **t be launched until after WWDC, however, as the third quarter translates to between July and September. While that seems questionable, Apple may elect to an**unce a new 15-inch MacBook Pro at WWDC and begin shipping the **tebook later in the year.

Last year, Apple refreshed the 13-inch MacBook Pro in March, but its 15-inch sibling was **t updated until May. For this reason, the 13-inch model is classified as Early 2015, and the 15-inch model is Mid 2015. Both **tebooks received Force Touch trackpads, faster flash storage, longer battery life, and improved graphics.

The Early 2015 13-inch MacBook Pro is based on Intel's newer Broadwell chip architecture, while the 15-inch model still has older Haswell architecture. Since then, Intel has an**unced Skylake chips appropriate for the 13-inch MacBook Pro in September and 15-inch MacBook Pro earlier this week.

Given that Skylake chips have been an**unced for both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro, there does **t appear to be any reason for Apple to stagger the release of its **tebooks this year. But, perhaps in line with its 2015 release cycle, Apple may plan to give the current 15-inch MacBook Pro a longer shelf life before replacing it.

Intel also an**unced Skylake chips appropriate for the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Airs throughout 2015, so it is likely we will see Mac updates across the board over the coming months. The report also claims a new iMac will be released in 2016, but an update is unlikely until later in the year.

Related Roundups: MacBook Pro, Retina MacBook
Tags: digitimes.com, Skylake
Buyer's Guide: Retina MacBook Pro (Don't Buy), MacBook (Don't Buy)

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