New MacBook Pro might have an OLED touch bar instead of function keys

Ever since the big Retina change of 2012, Apple's MacBook Pro line has been roughly the same. Yes, there have been improvements: The laptops got a bit thinner, the processors inside more powerful, the battery a little bigger. But radical changes were absent; grab a MacBook Pro from 2012 and the latest model, and you won't notice many differences.

That might change this year. According to a report from KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo (first noticed by MacRumors), Apple plans a big overhaul of the MacBook line in late 2016. 

Besides being thinner and lighter than the current ones -- partly due to a new hinge mechanism, seen in the 12-inch MacBook -- the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro will also have a built-in Touch ID fingerprint scanner and USB Type-C, Thunderbolt-compatible ports.

But the biggest change, if the report is true, is above the keyboard, where the function keys (traditionally shrunken on all MacBooks) will be replaced by an OLED display touch bar. There are no details on the bar's size and functionality, but it's not hard to imagine many uses for what is essentially a second screen beneath the main one (and a touch-sensitive one at that). 

This would be a big change for Apple, which traditionally kept things quite simple when it comes to laptops. When many PC makers started introducing touchscreens and flippable screens on their portable computers (think Lenovo's Yoga line), Apple kept the MacBook Pro and even the new, 12-inch MacBook, exactly as they were, instead positioning the iPad Pro line as its tablet/laptop hybrid. 

It's also worth noting that the upper row of a MacBook Pro keyboard consists of more than just F-keys; the power button and escape keys are there as well, and we reckon Apple might want to keep those keys physical. 

In fact, the rumor seems so far-fetched that we'd likely skip it if it didn't come from Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a solid track record when it comes to predicting Apple stuff. In Oct. 2013, he correctly predicted the 12-inch Retina MacBook (he was off on the timing, though; the device came out half a year later than he thought). He also correctly predicted the camera specs for the iPhone SE a few months before launch. 

Apple's WWDC conference takes place in San Francisco less than three weeks, from June 13 - 17. Apple is widely expected to show a new iPhone there, but other new gadgets, including revamped MacBook Pros, are also a possibility. Apple typically makes new MacBooks available shortly after launch, so the revamped MacBook Pros from the above report might have to wait for a later event. 

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