Apple May Discontinue The 17-inch MacBook Pro

Get ready to say goodbye to Apple's largest, most expensive Mac in its MacBook Pro line. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple may discontinue the 17-inch MacBook Pro as early as this year due to poor sales. Apple's 17-inch MacBook Pro only accounted for 1.7% of all MacBook sales in the first quarter of 2012, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro ranks up at 46.9% followed by the rest of the portable Mac line. Apple is expected to release refreshed Macs this year at WWDC on June 11. 

Rumored “Ultra-Thin” 15-Inch MacBook Pro

 

Follow up rumors have hinted at the long-awaited “Macbook Air”-esque MacBook Pro being near its launch date. 9to5mac reports of a new 15-inch Macbook Pro’s design sporting a thinner body without both an optical drive and Ethernet port. Both of these features have been excluded in the MacBook Air line and would make sense for the Pro line to follow suit as Apple is aiming for a thin notebook standard.

The report hints at possible USB 3.0 capabilities as well as Thunderbolt connectivity. With the new design, the layout will consist of the MagSafe power connector, two USB ports, with an audio in/out jacks and battery indicator on the left side. Along the right side, it is said to consist of two Thunderbolt ports, one more USB port, an SD card slot, and a Kensington lock slot. Another very exciting feature is Apple’s Retina display that will most likely be taking advantage of OS X’s “HiDPI” option. 

While an exact launch date has yet to be released, we can only guess at possible release dates. Apple’s WWDC which is in just four weeks have been in the past one of the major events where Apple introduces their major products. Digitimes suggests that Apple may be pushing for a possible June release. 

Update on 2012-05-15 04:58 by Bobby Zhang

Bloomberg has come out to confirm reports of the 15-inch MacBook Pro being announced at this year's WWDC. They have also suggested the revealing of Apple's new OS, Mountain Lion sometime this late summer.

iPhone 5 Physical Mockup Is Beautiful

The alleged iPhone 5 is starting to take shape after case leaks suggested a redesigned body with iPad 2-like characteristics. Until now we've seen countless renders of how the iPhone 5 will supposedly look like, but now an actual physical mockup of an iPhone 5 was made based on recent case leaks and hardware components. 

Based on CAD designs, hardware components, several leaked hints, cases and recent, believable mockups we created a three-dimensional computer model. This virtual model was then used to build a very detailed, true prototype that you can hold in your own two hands. 

The process to create this prototype is the same that’s used to create the iPad. The back was machined from a sold block of aluminium, which was later treated with glass pearls to get the same slightly rough touch that we already know from the iPad.

iPhone 5 mockup on the right

We've seen exact physical mockups of the iPad 2 week before it was released that have proven to be on point thanks to various case leaks of the iPad 2. This iPhone 5 mockup could really be what Apple has up its sleeve for when it will announce the next new iPhone on October 4.

Otterbox Case Packaging Reveals iPhone 4S?

Looks like Otterbox is very confident that the upcoming iPhone will not be called the iPhone 5, but rather the iPhone 4S which is said to sport the same design as the current iPhone 4 with some spec bumps. Thanks to the Chronic Wire for the leaks, Otterbox reportedly was so confident that it has manufactured as much as 3 million of these iPhone 4S cases. The above image shows the packaging of the Commuter Series case designed for the iPhone 4S. 

On the back, the packaging reveals an iPhone 4-like iPhone 4S with repositioned volume buttons on the right hand side instead of the left where they have always been from the very first iPhone. The Commuter Series case for the purported iPhone 4S has the following features:

• 1. Impact absorbing silicone
• 2. Hi-impact polycarbonate
• 3. Port and button covers
• 4. Self-adhesive screen protector 

Apple's next iPhone is highly expected to be revealed in early October. 

Case-Mate Teases With iPhone 5 Cases

We previously reported that Case-Mate had put up a notification page letting its customers know that it'll have iPhone 5 cases ready as soon as the iPhone 5 will be released. Case-Mate has recently released its renders for its iPhone 5 cases and how they will look like on the radically redesigned iPhone 5. Is Case-Mate really desperate for some free coverage or does it really have reliable inside information as to the specific design and dimensions of the iPhone 5? Investing time and money in designing these iPhone 5 cases sure does look like Case-Mate actually have concrete information. From these iPhone 5 renders, it looks like the back side is designed similarly to the iPad 2 using aluminum. Case-Mate has since removed its iPhone 5 cases page. Rumors point out to an early October release of the much anticipated iPhone 5.

Purported iPhone 5 Case VS. iPhone 4, Big Difference

As we reported in these past few weeks of new cases suggesting a drastically redesigned iPhone 5, more details have now surfaced showing exactly how big of a change there is between the redesigned iPhone 5 against the current iPhone 4. By the looks of it, the purported iPhone 5 case above points to a wider and slightly longer iPad 2 and iPod Touch 4G-like form factor with a relocated silent switch.

We could be totally off the guessing game though.This case might even suggest a newly redesigned iPod Touch 5G with a large screen while keeping its steep contoured design. It would make sense for Apple to enlarge the screen size of their beloved portable gaming device. I don't feel like ditching the blocky design of the iPhone 4 for the more iPod Touch 4G-like design makes sense because of how less comfortable it is to hold. You can see a lot more comparisson photos over at Macitynet.

Apple To Release White iPod Touch 5G?

We've got our white and black iPhone 4s and iPad 2s, but where is our white iPod Touch?! Thankfully, we've got some hope with a brand new leak of what looks to be a white iPod Touch front screen panel that iFixit has leaked. September is fast approaching and that's generally the month when Apple refreshed the iPod line. At this point we don't know if Apple will announce a brand new and redesigned iPod Touch 5G, or only add a white model to the current lineup.