Apple has revised its MacBook Pro to become slimmer by removing the optical disc drive, with 13- and 15-inch models in production for initial monthly shipments of 100,000-150,000 units, according to sources at its supply chain partners.
The MacBook Pro will no longer have an optical drive enabling thinner designs, the sources indicated. Despite the slim profile, the new devices will feature more advanced specs than the MacBook Air in terms of CPU performance and storage capacity, the sources said.
Production for the next-generation MacBook Pro has already begun with shipments to Apple kicking off in March, the sources noted. Monthly shipments will eventually climb to 900,000 units from the 100,000-150,000 units targeted initially, the sources said.
The availability of Apple's new MacBook Pro might come at the same time non-Apple brands launch their new Ivy Bridge ultrabooks, the sources observed. New models from non-Apple brands were previously expected to hit market shelves earlier, which was seen as a good time to sell prior to Apple's new product release, but have been postponed due to a revised shipping schedule for Ivy Bridge chips, according to the sources.
