Apple’s new, ultra thin 15-inch MacBook Pro to enter production this month?

Sometimes Apple rumours can be… debatable, at best. When you opening up your RSS reader in the morning, I’ll bet there’s often one or two that will make you chuckle for a little while, before you quickly dismiss them as false. But every so often, there’s one that seems like it’s inevitable.

One of those is surrounding the next-generation of MacBook Pros. Recent rumours claim the notebook will get an all-new design, identical to the MacBook Air, which will make it thinner and lighter than its predecessors and all the more portable. And it makes a whole lot of sense, after all, the MacBook Air has become a hugely successful machine.

According to sources for DigiTimes, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro will enter mass production at Foxconn during mid-April, with initial shipments of 200,000 units. In June, its 13-inch sibling will follow – with the same ultraportable design – with initial shipments of 300,000-400,000 units. In addition to the new look, the report claims the new notebooks will feature Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processors.

Admittedly, DigiTimes rumours are often farfetched and can seem unlikely. However, this one – for the most part – seems more than plausible. We’re already expecting refreshed MacBook Pros around summer – just like every other year – and we’re already expecting them to feature Intel’s latest processors. And as I said before, adopting a similar design to the hugely successful MacBook Air seems a sensible move.

What is questionable, however, is why the 13-inch MacBook Pro will not enter production until a month after the 15-inch model. Cult of Mac suggests there is some confusion at DigiTimes:

“The delay of the 13-inch model seems like it might be a misunderstanding on Digitimes’s part. Earlier reports suggested that the energy-efficient Ivy Bridge processors suitable for the MacBook Air line would be delayed until June. Given that Apple is making twice as many of the 13-inches in June as they are the 15-inch in April, we’d speculate that the 13-inch model isn’t a redesigned MacBook Pro, but an updated MacBook Air.”

Whatever the case may be surrounding the 13-inch model, I think it’s safe to assume that the rumour is right for the most part. Apple’s next-generation of MacBook Pros – with new processors and a new look – are likely to enter production soon, in time for a summer launch.

The question that now remains is this: Will you be buying one?