The 2012 version of the Apple MacBook Pro is already in production according to a report by Aaron Lee and Jessie Shen of Digitimes who cites sources in the supply chain partners in Taiwan.

They claim that the new MacBook Pro will come without the optical disc with the combined shipment figures for the 13-inch and 15-inch models reaching up to 150,000 units per month initially (for the month of March) with monthly shipment expected to reach 900,000 units in full swing; the figures apparently excluded the 17-inch model.

The new MacBook Pro according to the sources will be slimmer than the current range and will have more advanced features compared to the MacBook Air in terms of CPU and storage capacity.

MacBook Air rely on ultra low voltage processors and SSD to keep cooling requirements and weight to a minimum. If the report is to be believed, it is likely that there will be at least one more generation of MacBook Pro laptop range before both the MBA and MBP are merged into one.

Apple's new MacBook Pro and the new MacBook Air are likely to sport the same Ivy Bridge chip as other Windows-based laptops which will remove the first mover advantage for the likes of Dell, Acer or HP.

Source : Digitimes