According to a recent blog post from AppleInsider, which aligns with information from our Apple sources, the design of the MacBook Pro will change in 2012, taking on the design of the MacBook Air. For Apple to battle with the thin Ultrabook from Intel, AppleInsider emphasized that the shift will likely see a unification of Apple’s notebook lines under the MacBook Air design aesthetic, covering the full range of 11-inch to 17-inch sizes by the end of this year:
This will include new, ultra-thin unibody enclosures that jettison yesteryear technologies like optical disk drives and traditional hard drives in favor of models with lightweight chassis that employ flash-memory based solid-state drives, instant-on capabilities, extended battery life, and rely on digital distribution for software and media. “They’re all going to look like MacBook Airs,” one person familiar with the new MacBook Pro designs told AppleInsider. Meanwhile, existing MacBook Pro designs are expected to be phased out over the course of the year.