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MacBook Pro 2017 release date, specs, news: Apple may release a 15-inch MacBook Pro this year

A promotional image for the current 13-inch MacBook Pro | Apple

Apple may have released a new MacBook Pro late last year, but some industry insiders believe that the company is already moving on to the next MacBook Pro.

That's not really a surprise because companies in the tech industry tend to plan ahead and develop their next line of devices right after a release. However, sources say Apple may launch an upgraded laptop within the year, just months after the release of the last model.

Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple is going to correct the mistakes it made when it released the fourth generation MacBook Pro in October 2016. Last year's model was equipped with Intel's sixth-generation Skylake processor and it has up to 16GB of random-access memory (RAM), however, a lot of users don't think that the specs were high enough for a high-end notebook like the MacBook Pro.

To remedy this situation, Kuo says will release a 15-inch MacBook Pro equipped with Intel's seventh-generation Kaby Lake processor. Interestingly, the laptop will also have 32GB of desktop-class RAM. Kuo explained that Apple has to use the desktop-class RAM if they want to increase the RAM beyond 16GB "due to the restrictions of current memory designs." The model will allegedly start production in the fourth quarter of the year.

Kuo said the 15-inch MacBook Pro will be "the most significantly redesigned product this year," but he also revealed that "most other specifications and the design of all of the notebooks will be similar to equivalent models released in 2016."

Aside from the new 15-inch MacBook Pro, Kuo also believes that Apple will release new 13-inch MacBook equipped with a Kaby Lake processor, and up to 16GB of RAM. Production will apparently start in the third quarter of the year. Kuo thinks the new Kaby Lake models will be power efficient, which means it may also have a positive impact on shipments.

Kuo is a reliable source, but readers are still advised to that this with a little grain of salt because Apple has yet to announce that they are working on new models of the MacBook Pro.