Something is happening over there in Cuppertino. Rumblings of a new product announcement have been audible for days, and word is it’ll be a new line of MacBook Pro laptops. AppleInsider has learned that Apple has asked its retail employees to sign non-disclosure agreements in preparation for an all-hands meeting that will happen in the next day or so. The site believes Apple may announce the new MacBook Pros on Thursday, Feb. 24, which is also CEO Steve Jobs’ birthday. Other rumors, of course, point toward a debut of the iPad 2 at an event early next week.
While Apple does regularly have all-hands meetings, usually such meetings are held on Sunday and they don’t often involve NDAs. However, Apple may not end up holding the event until next week. It is difficult to say.
Last week we learned that Apple’s new line of MacBrook Pros could hit retail as soon as March 1. The new laptops are rumored to feature Intel’s new Sandy Bridge processor, which was delayed earlier this year due to a design flaw. Today, reports have leaked that the new laptops will feature solid-state drives or SSD storage. They may also have a larger trackpad.
It’s unlikely both MacBooks and the iPad 2 will be unveiled at the same event. Apple is masterful at manipulating the media during its product events and usually sticks to one big product reveal to ensure the headlines leak out correctly.
