Rumor: New MacBook Pro notebooks with faster CPUs, 16 GB of RAM to surface Tuesday

Maybe it’s a good thing that my mid-2011 MacBook Pro was stolen on Friday.

Per AppleInsider, Apple is rumored to be launching both new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro notebooks on Tuesday. The new models are said to feature faster CPUs and a meaty 16 GB of RAM.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is said to be identified as model “J44a,” according to French website MacG, which cited “confirmation” from a reliable source. The new 15-inch model is said to be identified as “J45a.”

No other information on the new high-end MacBook Pro models was provided, though alleged in-store signage from China leaked on Sunday claiming to show the new 15-inch models will see slight CPU speed increases and will come with 16-gigabytes of RAM in all models. The alleged advertisement also seemed to suggest that the models would come at the same price points as the current offerings.

If true, that would fit in line with Apple’s other Mac upgrades thus far this year, which have seen minor improvements in light of no major chip upgrades available from Intel. The hold-up is in Intel’s next-generation chips, dubbed “Broadwell,” which have seen numerous delays.

Intel has stated that the Broadwell will arrive in the 2014 calendar year, but it’s presently unknown as to whether supply will meet demand.

In June, Apple launched a new US$1,099 iMac, reaching a new price point with a low-end processor. Apple also dropped the price of its MacBook Air range in April, reaching a new entry price of US$899 and increasing the speed of its processors by 100 megahertz.

Apple is expected to debut a new 12-inch MacBook model later this year with a Retina display. Speculation has suggested that this model might be a redesigned MacBook Air and the first to feature a pixel-packing screen, while some believe that Apple might be waiting for Intel’s Broadwell CPUs to launch the rumored new model.

The Broadwell processor is expected to use a 14-nanometer die shrink as opposed to the current 22-nanometer architecture of the Haswell processor, offering a 30 percent reduction in power consumption while offering the same speeds.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.