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Rumor: New MacBook Pros on the way?

A MacBook Pro with the same multitouch trackpad found on the just-released MacBook Air could arrive within a couple of weeks, according to the rumor mill.

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
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Tom Krazit
2 min read

With Apple's MacBook Air having reached store shelves, it might not be too much longer before the company updates the rest of its notebook lineup.

MacRumors notes fresh evidence--of sorts--that Apple is getting ready to launch revamped MacBook Pros in February. The site obtained screenshots reportedly from Best Buy's inventory system that point to a $1,999 MacBook Pro arriving at Best Buy in mid-February, although the site also notes that it has heard rumors of several dates in both February and March for the new systems.

It could be time for new MacBook Pros, according to several rumors circulating this week. Apple

It's been awhile since Apple released new MacBook Pros, and with Intel having just launched several Penryn-class notebook chips at the Consumer Electronics Show, many had thought (including me) that Apple would have new notebooks to show off at Macworld. They did, unwrapping the MacBook Air, but said nothing about the rest of the Mac lineup.

Several in the Apple rumor business also believe that the company will add the multitouch trackpad capabilities found on the MacBook Air to upcoming MacBook Pros and MacBooks. This technology lets you use many of the same iPhone gestures, such as pinching to zoom in and out on a picture, on the notebook's trackpad.

New notebooks could give Apple a boost heading into the second quarter, which is generally the slowest quarter of the year for PC sales. Although the Mac business hasn't needed much of a boost lately, coming off a huge holiday quarter. If you're in the market for a new Mac that comes with an optical drive and more than one USB port, you might want to wait a few weeks to see what shakes out.