If you've been clutching your 2021 MacBook Pro like a life raft, congratulations, you own a machine that still rips through basically anything you throw at it.
But Apple, being Apple, has apparently decided it's time to pry that wallet open again.
The rumor mill is churning about a refresh, and the headline feature isn't a faster chip or a brighter screen.
It's the thing you've been rage-tweeting about since 2021.
The little black trapezoid that eats into your menu bar and serves absolutely no purpose because there's no Face ID hiding up there.
Just a camera that makes you look like a hostage video from 2008.
Well, the latest supply chain chatter suggests Apple may finally be ready to shrink it or ditch it entirely by moving to an under-display camera.
Take this with the entire salt shaker, because leakers have been wrong before, but the tea leaves are pointing that direction.
The current Pro brought back HDMI, SD, and MagSafe, which was Apple admitting the 2016 redesign was a mistake without technically admitting it.
For the next round, expect Thunderbolt 5, which means faster external drives and the ability to drive more monitors without your laptop sounding like a jet engine on a tarmac.
If you edit video for a living, this is the part that actually matters.
The chip story is the usual boring-but-important drumbeat.
We're looking at an M4 Pro and M4 Max, which will be faster, more efficient, and will make your current machine feel ancient the moment the benchmark charts drop.
It just needs you to want it, and the want is engineered into every keynote.
The real question is whether any of this is worth an upgrade if you're on an M1 Pro or M2 Pro.
Spoiler: probably not, unless your workflow involves rendering 8K footage while running three virtual machines and a Twitch stream.
For the rest of us, the honest answer is that the machine you already own is still absurdly overpowered for email, Slack, and 47 open Chrome tabs.
But that's never stopped any of us before.
Where this gets interesting is the timing.
Apple typically refreshes the Pro line in the fall or early the following year, and the rumor cycle always ramps up right around back-to-school season to maximize the FOMO.
If you're a student or a creative on a deadline, waiting is a gamble.
If you just want the shiny new thing, waiting is free and the current models will get discounted the second the new ones drop.
The boring advice nobody wants: if your current laptop still boots without a fan screaming for mercy, you're fine.
If you're on an Intel-era machine that doubles as a space heater, this refresh is your sign.
Either way, the notch discourse is about to consume your feed for the next six months, so buckle up. **Our take:** Apple's playbook is predictable and it works because we keep falling for it.
The refresh will be excellent, your current laptop will still be excellent, and the only real loser here is your credit card.
Final Thoughts
Buy it if you need it, skip it if you don't, and please stop pretending the notch ruined your life.