Apple MacBook Pro event: OLED Touch Panel, Touch ID, USB Type-C and more expected at today’s event

New Macs are just around the corner as Apple will finally unveil them tonight at a special event in Cupertino. Since events at the campus are smaller and usually focusing on one product lineup, we are pretty sure that Apple will talk about new Macs including the new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and hopefully the iMac.

We are expecting some updates to the Mac lineup considering they only got a refresh and have carried over their design for years. Yes, we did see the new super slim 12-inch MacBook last year, but the MacBook Pro, Air and the iMac look pretty much the same since 2012.

Here are some of the announcements that you can expect from today’s event.

OLED Touch Panel with Touch ID

We’ve heard numerous rumours and seen a bunch of leaks that have confirmed the introduction of an OLED panel right above the keyboard. This panel will replace the traditional row of function keys and depending on usage it would offer different keys. It will most likely be touch sensitive of course and one will be able to configure it to show an array of different options. This OLED strip will also feature Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor making it the first Mac product to have biometric authentication. This also means that one can expect similar features as the iPhone like unlocking the device, as well as making secure payments. For now, we believe that the new hardware addition will only arrive on the new MacBook Pro.

Hardware and Design

The innards will definitely see an update right from the MacBook Air going all the way up to the iMac. Expect the latest 6th-generation or possibly even the 7th-generation of Intel processors along with faster and larger storage and memory options. There has been a rumour that Apple is planning to use AMD chips instead of Intel, but we expect that the company will offer its new products with both chipset as options. In terms of the display, don’t expect any major changes as we believe Apple will continue using the Retina displays, which are actually quite good.

The new products, specifically the MacBook Pro will be lighter and thinner than the last generation. The bezels around the display and the keyboard are expected to be narrower, however, the overall design will not see a major change if leaks are to be believed.

Goodbye MagSafe, hello USB Type-C

There is a high possibility that the MagSafe charging port will be axed and replaced with a USB Type C port. This will be the same as the 12-inch MacBook. We are expecting that Apple will also update all the USB 3.0 ports on all of its new products with Type-C ones. They will also bring in support for Thunderbolt 3.0.

MacOS Sierra, iMac, Mac Mini and more

The new products will be running on the new MacOS Sierra which was launched this year. There is a possibility that a new version of the update will arrive with the new Macs to bring in support for the rumoured OLED touch strip as well as the Touch ID sensor.

There hasn’t been a lot of buzz around the iMac or the Mac Mini but we can’t ignore them especially after what Microsoft announced yesterday. The Surface Studio is gunning for Apple’s high end iMacs, but it will interesting to see if Apple releases a more powerful variant of the iMac 5K to respond to the Surface Studio.

Other rumours suggest that Apple will kill the 11-inch MacBook Air since it already has the iPad Pro and the 12-inch MacBook as ultra portable options. The 13-inch MacBook Air might still stick around for while. Then there have been talks about new Thunderbolt displays, new Apple TV and even the iPod.

We will be giving you all the details from the event so make sure you are tuned in. As for the event, it is set to take place on 27 October at 10AM PDT (10:30PM IST).