While fans are expecting the new MacBook Pro to flaunt impressive hardware and revamped design, reports have hinted that it would not likely be a major refresh at all.

Intel Kaby Lake Processor

Intel is still expected to supply the processing chip for Apple Mac lineups. The company shipped Kaby Lake in late 2016 and it is highly plausible that MacBook Pro 2017 will contain the chip instead of any offering from AMD.

A few reports have pointed to the use of Cannonlake but this chip won't be released until next year, which means that the chance is slim to find it under the hood of a refreshed MacBook Pro this year. Indeed, when MacBook Pro 2017 comes to materialize, Intel will have its Cannonlake announced - causing the laptop to be one step behind, ComputerWorld reported.

16GB RAM on Board

Apple has been increasing the price of its Mac lineups without giving any significant upgrade. The 16 GB RAM is a good example. Apple could gain the memory up to 32 GB but the Cupertino giant refused to give into fans demand. Instead, Phil Schiller explained in an email that MacBook Pro doesn't need a huge RAM when a 16 GB is already 'very fast'.

That being the case, the MacBook Pro 2017 might not receive any gain in RAM - instead, Apple will still limit the space in order to avoid sacrificing battery life; while the design gets slicker and slimmer - the power gets more efficient.

Thin and Powerful

The latest iPad 2017 unveiling could give a few hints on what MacBook Pro 2017 will look like. The affordable iPad gets a new price, $469, with slight gains in performance. The price tag is somewhat tempting as it is inevitably the cheapest model, NZHerald reported.

Apple might apply the same rules to the upcoming MacBook Pro. The Cupertino giant will reportedly equip its upcoming laptop with OLED display and replace the MacBook Air with 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar.