French blog site MacG documented the news, pegging the information on "reliable sources," as translated by 9to5Mac. If the gossip is true, the actual updated laptop may likely include the new Force Touch trackpad, which responds differently depending on how much much pressure you apply to the surface. The new 15-inch MacBook Pro would join the 12-inch MacBook and the 13-inch MacBook Pro in offering the new Force Touch trackpad.
Force Touch brings a new type of awareness to Apple's standard trackpads, where people trace and tap with their fingers to move the cursor within the laptop's screen or to initiate actions in software applications. The technology is pressure-sensitive, so for example, a light press might select a word on a web page in Safari. Meanwhile, a deep press might bring up a Wikipedia entry on that word based on Apple's Force Touch gestures. Force Touch is the newest feature designed to give Apple's MacBooks a greater competitive edge over rival laptops.
The Force Touch trackpad also provides tactile feedback, so you can feel when you've carried out a certain task. Further, Force Touch consists of four sensors that allow you to click the trackpad anywhere, even along its top edge, so it will respond no matter where your finger lands. Some reports have recommended that the Force Touch technology might pop up on the screens of the new iPhones.
Force Touch is perhaps probably the most enticing feature in the redesigned 15-inch MacBook Pro. But the new version is also prone to sport upgrades to its Intel Core processor as well as the graphics processing unit, according to 9to5Mac, adding up to a speedier performance overall. In March, the 13-inch MacBook Pro was treated to a small processor boost as Apple updated the CPU to Intel's fifth-generation Core i-series, previously code named Broadwell.
But wait, there's one more tidbit apparently in the works immediately. On Wednesday, Apple may also launch a new edition of its 27-inch iMac desktop, 9to5Mac cites MacG as saying. No specifics were available on this new model, though 9to5Mac suggested that it's the non-Retina Display model most likely in line for an upgrade.