MacBook Pro 2012 Release Imminent: Foxconn Outsourcing To Meet Demand [REPORT]

The upstream supply chain is facing labor shortages due to strong orders from Apple, according to a report from the DigiTimes. 

Component manufacturing plants in eastern China have been suffering from labor shortages for a long time, and although May and June are the IT industry's traditional slow season when shortage issues are usually not as significant, the strong orders from Apple's new MacBook are leaving many upstream makers unable to satisfy demand, the report reads. 

The redesigned and updated version of the laptop is expected to be unveiled at the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on June 11, according to Bloomberg.

The computers will come with high-definition screens as well as flash memory, according to Bloomberg's sources that have not been identified as the information has not been made public yet.

Apple shipments will possibly grow by 30 to 50 percent in 2012 due to the MacBook Pro update, sources told the DigiTimes. 

One of the most popular rumors for the new MacBook Pro is that will come with a revolutionary 2048 x 1536, 3.1 million-pixel Retina Display, as found on the new iPad.

Apple fans are eager for MacBook laptops and iMac desktops to include the feature and the MacBook Pro and the iMac are the most likely candidates for the Retina Display as some of its features could compromise the ultra-thin and light qualities of the MacBook Air. A laptop with a Retina Display would also require a bigger battery, which would result in a thicker case, larger than that of the current MacBook Air.

Initially the new MacBook Pro was rumored to look much like the Air, but a new report from 9to5Mac quashed the rumors. While the MacBook Pro is expected to be thinner than its predecessor, it will not exhibit the tapered edges of the Air.

The report also indicated that the Pro would lose its optical drive and be fitted with two extra thunderbolt ports as well as USB ports, two audio in/out-sized ports and an SD card slot. 

The report obtained by Bloomberg also revealed that the newly designed MacBook Pro computers would run on Intel's Ivy Bridge Processor. Intel has announced that Ivy Bridge has been built for Retina Display computers.

WWDC 2012

Apple launched the 2012 WWDC app on Tuesday, so users can track more than 100 sessions at the four-day conference. The keynote will take place on June 11 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, and while Apple has not confirmed who will be speaking, it is likely to be the CEO, Tim Cook.