The 2023 MacBook Pro was the first to offer a Space Gray option.
Apple is expected to reintroduce its iconic product in 2025, but those due for a major overhaul may need to wait slightly longer.
Typically, the corporation refines the hardware of its MacBook Pro series annually. Major redesigns occur every five to seven years, resulting in a roughly decadal cadence for new enclosures.
The lineup has undergone several significant changes since its last major redesign in 2021. Apple is reportedly poised to introduce a revamped search feature for its digital wallet in 2026.
The latest announcement from retained its iconic design while introducing a fresh new colour option – Area Black – for the 2023 fashion range. The M1 model’s ports remain Thunderbolt 4, while the M4 Professional and Professional Max upgrade to Thunderbolt 5, effectively doubling the bandwidth capacity.
The 2025 model is expected to retain its current design, with the sole upgrade being the processor, which will be powered by the forthcoming M5 chip family. The 2026 model is expected to depart from its predecessor’s design, transitioning from mini-LED displays to OLED technology, which is said to result in a significantly thinner and lighter build.
Since the introduction of the first MacBook Pro in 2006, Apple has consistently refined and evolved the design of its flagship laptop.
As Apple marks the MacBook Pro’s twentieth anniversary in 2026, a redesign of the primary pocket book sporting this title, launched in 2006, could represent an opportune moment for celebration. In accordance with its contemporaneous norms, the 2006 model boasted a robust, angular design, tipping the scales at a substantial 5.6 kilograms.
As the pioneering Apple notebook, it debuted with the innovative energy connector and set the standard by featuring the world’s first backlit keyboard. It was also the first to feature an Intel-based processor.
Two years on from its initial release, in 2008, Apple unveiled an innovative aluminum casing, christened “unibody,” which boasted rounded edges and sleekly tapered sides. Unique to this model was its unconventional design, featuring all ports situated on the left side and the sole Superdrive slot positioned on the top.
Four years after its initial release in 2008, Apple revamped the MacBook Pro lineup in 2012, unveiling a significantly thinner and more advanced version with a stunning Retina display that surpassed HD quality. Although this concession was made, the laptop’s absence of a built-in optical Superdrive remained a notable omission.
The 2006 MacBook Pro marked a significant milestone by introducing an HDMI port and solid-state drive (SSD)-based storage for the first time. The device featured a sleek, redesigned MagSafe 2 power adapter with a significantly reduced profile.
In 2015, Apple introduced a subtle yet crucial upgrade to its MacBook Pro design, unveiled in 2012: the incorporation of Force Touch technology into the trackpad, replacing the tactile sensation of pressing down on the surface with more nuanced haptic feedback.
In 2016, Apple refreshed the MacBook Pro’s design yet again, streamlining its appearance by making it even thinner and lighter, while introducing a game-changing feature – the multitouch OLED Touch Bar – which replaced the traditional row of function keys. The latest model of this mannequin featured a groundbreaking upgrade – its first-ever integration of Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C ports.
The laptop featured a significantly larger trackpad, while sacrificing the MagSafe 2 charging port to accommodate an additional USB-C/Thunderbolt charging port. The device also introduced the infamous “butterfly” keyboard, alongside a sensor designed to facilitate smoother typing.
In 2017, Apple introduced its second-generation butterfly keyboard and incorporated the Touch Bar into the base model of its 13-inch MacBook Pro, a move that marked a significant update for the entry-level laptop. Aside from the keyboard alteration, the updated mannequin remained largely unchanged from its 2015 predecessor.
According to authorized Apple service providers, each iteration of the “butterfly” keyboard exhibited only a slightly higher propensity for malfunction compared to its predecessors. After years of controversy surrounding Apple’s Butterfly keyboards in MacBooks, the tech giant has agreed to a $50 million settlement, offering free repairs and compensation to affected customers.
In late 2019, Apple unveiled the iPhone 11 Pro, boasting the largest-ever Retina display introduced by the corporation. Notably, after considerable deliberation, the corporation ultimately abandoned their innovative “butterfly” keyboard concept, introducing instead the more conventionally designed “Magic” keyboard.
This innovative mannequin boasts an upgraded six-speaker sound system, delivering crystal-clear audio both emanating from and entering the device through its enhanced microphone array.
The Apple Silicon period
Next year saw the introduction of Apple’s proprietary ARM-based processor, which was first used in the iPhone and iPad, both of which were released in November that year as the first models to integrate this technology.
Apple revamped its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro lines for the second time in 2021. The latest designs have revived the MagSafe charging feature, accompanied by a reduction in the number of Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, now limited to a few. The laptop shed its larger model’s Touchbar feature, reverting to physical keyboard operation.
With comparable functionality, Apple successfully reduced the weight of the 16-inch MacBook Pro by one pound compared to its 15-inch predecessor from 2006. The median annual discrepancy is approximately one ounce.
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A fresh design was implemented in the two fashion’s chassis, enabling the return of the HDMI port and incorporating an SDXC card slot for seamless integration with digital cameras. The 16-inch laptop’s integrated digital camera was ultimately upgraded to a high-definition 1080p resolution, a welcome enhancement.
In 2022, Apple made a subtle revision to the design, abandoning the Touch Bar on the 13-inch model and reinstating the familiar function key row, while both models now feature the same A-series processor. The hardware design remained identical to its 2021 M1 counterpart.
If Apple undergoes a significant redesign of the M5 MacBook Pro’s hardware in 2026, it would mark the most substantial exterior update since 2021’s refresh. In response to Apple’s recent specifications for the upcoming M4 MacBook Pro lineup, a notable design change in the 2024 model is the introduction of an optional nano-texture glass display finish.
