Leaks point to new mystery Macs 'with Jony Ive's fingerprints on'
Fruity booty for fanbois expected at WWDC
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Brace yourself fanbois: it looks like Apple is about to release a new range of souped-up MacBook laptops into the wild.
A series of part codes leaked out of Cupertino by a Mac mole appear to indicate that the fruity firm will use next week's WWDC, an annual fanboi love-in, to unleash a new range of refreshed laptops.
Stock of MacBook Airs has also dwindled in the past few weeks, which is a surefire indication that Apple is bracing for the launch of new products.
The website 9-5 Mac obtained the following set of codes, which appear to show details of notebooks that come in two sizes.
MD711LL/A — Better — USA
MD712LL/A — Best – USA
MD760LL/A — Better – USA
MD761LL/A — Best – USA
Current MacBooks already come in two different sizes, with the MacBook Air offering a choice of 11 inch or 13 inch screen sizes, and the MacBook Pro, with or without the super-crisp Retina display, coming in 13 and 15 inch varieties.
It is unclear which of the models will be upgraded at the WWDC, as Apple has maintained its customary veil of secrecy over the event. Last year saw the introduction of the MacBook with Retina display.
Another expected change is the much-anticipated move to Intel's Haswell processors, which offer lower power use and could allow Apple designers to shrink the size of batteries.
Analysts have also suggested that any refreshed MacBooks would include a high-definition camera to allow super clear sexting, Facetime chatting etc, as well as better quality microphones so your chat friend can hear every squeak and grunt.
Other analysts expect a new version of iOS, which does away with the skeumorphic design in favour of a "flat" aesthetic.
In a note to investors released yesterday, Chris Whitmore of Deutsche Bank Equity Research said:
"We believe iOS is due for a material upgrade in order to freshen and reinvigorate the 'cool' factor around Apple's products. The general look and feel of iOS is 6 years old and is in need of an update and some spark. It seems clear that Jony Ive's fingerprints will be all over iOS7, which we expect to be the most significant iOS upgrade from a visual perspective.
"While we don't anticipate any meaningful iOS hardware announcements at WWDC, our checks indicate orders for the new iPhone are starting now for longer lead-time components. Specifically, we believe Apple is currently placing component orders for iPhone volume manufacturing to ramp in the August timeframe, suggesting they're on pace for a late September launch." ®
