Following the launch of the iMac Pro last December, the public now sees Apple becoming committed once again to its Mac computers. The Cupertino-based tech firm has been criticized for giving much attention over the iPhone and iPad over its larger products for the past few years, particularly the pro-level MacBook laptop. In 2018, it is expected that Apple will surprise everyone with a sleeker and more powerful MacBook Pro, thanks to a brand new modular design and upgraded Intel Core processor.

According to MacWorld, Apple made a promise that the next MacBook Pro version will become a modular and expandable workstation laptop. While the 2017 model of the Mac Pro is more satisfying compared to the 2016 version with just a few minor hardware upgrades included, the company is still expected to fulfill its promise of a modular MacBook Pro this 2018. Perhaps Apple can make the MacBook Pro 2018 as the mini portable version of the iMac Pro, in which users can change its core specs such as graphics cards easily with the laptop's modular design. Moreover, it is expected that the next Mac Pro laptop could deliver more functionality options and features than the recently released iMac Pro. 

It will no longer be surprising if the MacBook Pro 2018 will feature boosts in RAM and SSD memory capacities, as the yearly Mac Pro refresh does this. Meanwhile, it is also rumored that the next Mac Pro will receive an improved Intel Core chip. To note, the 2017 MacBook Pro has the upgraded Intel chip, which was first released almost a year before the laptop's launch at the Wordwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last June. This year, the pro-level Mac is likely to boast a more powerful chip, specifically the next-generation Intel Core i9 processor.

The Intel Core i9 processor, once used in the MacBook Pro 2018, can run 6-core/12-thread configurations, 45W TDP, and 12 MB of L3 cache, thus leaving behind the older Core i3, i5, and i7 versions. In spite of the improved performance and faster memory speed, the Intel Core i9 chip still expected to remain power-efficient, according to BGR.

The MacBook Pro 2018 is likely to be unveiled at this year's WWDC event scheduled in June.