Even as the 2017 edition of MacBook Pro was only launched earlier this year, there are already rumors pointing to the next hardware upgrade of Apple's premium laptop. Talks about the next MacBook Pro have only gotten louder this week, especially since Microsoft recently unveiled the Surface Book 2, packaged as the ultimate Mac Pro killer. It is very likely that the Cupertino-based tech giant will answer back with a much powerful MacBook Pro 2018.

As reported by ZDNet, Microsoft made a surprise announcement for the Surface Book 2 through a blog post, and the public was amazed by the 2-in1 laptop's impressive specs. Microsoft is also believable in their claim that the Surface Book 2 is twice as powerful as the current MacBook Pro. For the past two years, the Mac Pro has not been well-received by laptop users. In 2016, the new Touch Bar feature for the MacBook Pro did not get much attention. The previous MacBook Pro 2017 launch at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) announced the laptops now being powered by Intel Kaby Lake processors, which is considered as a slight improvement.

If Apple would want to stop Microsoft from stealing the spotlight from the MacBook Pro through their Surface Book 2, ZDNet suggests that the company should veer away from gimmicks that will not affect the laptop's over-all performance. For one, Apple has been focused on making the new MacBook Pro thinner and lighter as ever, but only small attention was given to its efficiency when it came to professional and creative works.

To make the MacBook Pro 2018 a superior laptop over the Surface Book 2 and other competitors, Apple should discover more ways to make their product more than just a laptop. In terms of power, it is expected that Apple will finally use the 8th-generation Intel Coffee Lake processors for improved performance. As for the graphics, the MacBook Pro 2018 might also shift to high-performance GPUs similar to Surface Book 2's Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 and 1060.

Meanwhile. MacWorld also noted that the MacBook Pro 2018 may increase its battery capacity. The current MacBook Pro can only stay up to 10 hours, while its competitors like the Surface Book 2 have up to 17 hours battery life. Apple might also listen to the public's request to increase the RAM option for the MacBook Pro, making its capacity up to 32GB.