With WWDC 2013 fast approaching there are several rumors doing the rounds as to what we will see. It’s almost certain that we will see a sneak peak at iOS 7, but not the next iPhone. However, some of you also expect to see a 2013 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro refresh, but we are still not one hundred percent on that.

However, if you are looking for a way to upgrade your MacBook Air and Pro, then there is an unusual MacBook Air and Pro keyboard upgrade, which also covers any Mac keyboard, such as one for your iMac. This is a Kickstarter, so it may not happen, but we sure hope it does.

Okay, so this is not what you would have liked, but if you are unable to purchase the new MacBook models later this year, then this minor upgrade will help bring new life into your current MacBook or Mac keyboard.

The Kickstarter wants you to be able to upgrade your keyboard to wooden keys, with a choice of rosewood or bamboo. Don’t worry about adding extra bulk to your device, as the wood is just 0.6 mm thin. The Wooden keys will cost $40 for the MacBook Pro and Mac keyboard, but $45 for the numeric keyboard.

Don’t worry about ruining your keyboard, as they can be easily peeled off once you have grown tired with the wooden keys, or if they start to wear, you’ll also be pleased to know that no residue will be left behind.

More details can be found on the Kickstarter website, but we can tell you that with 23 days to go $7,882 has been pledged of its $25,000 goal. So if you would like to pimp your Mac keyboard then you had best make your pledge now.

Even though the MacBook Pro received a small update at the start of the year, we still expect to see another this year, along with the MacBook Air as well. Just last week we discussed how WWDC 2013 could be the platform to reveal these new models with them releasing later that day. However, this seems to conflict with what Tim Cook had said.

During Apple’s earnings call, Cook had said they will have no new products until the fall this year, which would mean we should not expect to see any new products until late September at the earliest. So what about continued rumors that we will see the MacBook Pro and Air refreshed in June?

There are several ways to look at this, first of which could be Apple throwing us off the scent, which is something they have been good at in the past. Secondly we will not see any new devices until the fall, and so these persist rumors are all they are, rumors.

However, we do have another possibility, can we consider a MacBook Air and MacBook Pro refresh as new, because if not these would not count as those new fall 2013 products?

When Tim Cook said that they will not be releasing any new products until fall 2013, maybe he was talking about a completely new device, and not a minor refresh. Now a complete redesign of the MacBook Air could count as a new product, as it would not be a refresh, so if we look at it like that then we should expect just some minor changes, such as a spec bump to the new Haswell processor.

Let’s say this is the case; we could see the elusive full on Apple TV set, or maybe the iWatch released in the latter part of 2013? Whatever happens, we do expect Apple to shock us with something radical this year, let’s face it, they need to do something.

Each year we wonder what Apple will offer us in terms of new devices, or upgrades of products they already have on the market. Two of which are the 2013 MacBook Air and Pro, because while the latter has already received a minor update earlier this year, we are still expecting to see another.

However, this is where things get a little conflicting, because a new rumor suggests that Apple could offer a 2013 MacBook Air refresh and a 2013 MacBook Pro update in June. Where we find this report conflicting is the fact that Tim Cook has already said that Apple will not be releasing any new products until the fall, which is late September.

Having said that, we all know how Apple has a tendency to say things and do the complete opposite.

So why June? There are two reasons why June has been put forward as a potential date for new MacBook Air and Pro models; the first is because this is the date that the new Intel Haswell processor is released to the market. And secondly, June is when Apple will hold the 2013 WWDC event, which could bring one or two surprises, unless what Cook is telling us is the truth?

According to Digitimes sources there have not been any signs that these two Apple notebooks will see any design changes to its exterior, so the upgrades could only be internal. This is a shame, as the MacBook Air is in need of a new design, as well as a retina display, although this would be considered internal.

If we are to see a new MacBook Pro again this year then we have to wonder if Apple will release a 17-inch version, as there are some consumers and business users longing for some extra real-estate?

Last week we discussed how Intel could power several touchscreen Windows 8 devices for a price below $200, and while these will be very good in terms of profit for Microsoft, there is still a need for high-end devices to compete with the likes of Apple. One such competitor is the Toshiba Kirabook, which has its sights set on two Apple notebooks.

It’s clear by looking at the specs and pricing structure that Toshiba has its sight set on the 2013 MacBook Pro and 2013 MacBook Air, but does the Toshiba Kirabook have what it takes? What makes this new Windows 8 laptop so interesting is how the one device will take the fight to the two Apple devices.

If we are to go on design, then it looks a little like the MacBook Air, but spec wise it’s much closer to the MacBook Pro. Some of the main specs of the Toshiba Kirabook include the choice of an i5 or i7 processor, 256GB SSD and 8GB or RAM. The complete specs can be seen below; on the left are the Toshiba Kirabook specs and to the right the 2013 MacBook Pro.

The 13-inch display of the Kirabook has a 2560 x 1440 resolution, which is similar to the Chromebook Pixel and MacBook Pro with Retina Display. However, there is a downside, as the viewing angle is rather limited on the Kirabook, so you need to sit right in front of the device. However, this is not much of an issue, because I never sit on my laptop at an awkward angle.

This is the first Windows 8 laptop with such a high screen resolution, and while it is $100 more and has an hour less battery life than the MacBook Pro, it’s lighter and comes with touchscreen. It’s for this reason if you are not bothered about Mac OS X or Windows 8, then the Toshiba Kirabook could be the laptop for you if you love the specs of the Pro and the design of the Air. However, it’s worth remembering that Apple could revise these two notebooks later this year, maybe during WWDC.

Thanks to Digital Trends.

When using a MacBook Pro for use at home or work there is one issue that we can never seem to overcome, at that is all those unsightly wires if you connect your Pro up to a wired connection, power and also a separate display. Not only are these wires unsightly, but it’s also a pain having to keep connecting and disconnecting several wires each time.

However, help is at hand because there is a way to improve your MacBook Pro port organization for 2013, and that’s with a new device called the ZenDock. Before you get too excited, this is currently a Kickstarter project, but from what we can see it will not be long before these new MacBook Pro docks become available.

There is to be two versions, one for the standard Pro and the other for the Retina model. There are two parts to this product; one is a base, which can be placed out of sight beneath your desk where you can connect your USB devices, such as an external storage, monitor, speakers etc.

On the other end there is just a single wire, which connects to an aluminum box that just connects to several ports on the side of your Pro, allowing you to quickly plug all your devices in at once. You’ll see in the video below just how easy it is, as well as how the ZenDock tidies your desk up.

The ZenDock for the MacBook Pro requires $40,000 worth of funding by May 10. Two days in and the project has raised $32,000. The ZenDock is said to cost $179 once released, although we currently have no release window as yet.

Thanks to Kickstarter.

It was only yesterday when we looked at the possibility of Apple unveiling a minor update for their MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, due to there being several rumors of a GPU upgrade, amongst other new features. One of those new features could be a change to 802.11ac chips.

If this is true then we could see a new 2013 MacBook Air and Pro with increased WiFi speeds, well if a recent finding from some OS X 10.8.4 beta beta code is anything to go by. It seems that all the pieces are in place, as we already know Apple has been working with Broadcom in order to bring the new 802.11ac chips to upcoming Macs, and now it looks as though the software is being prepared to support faster WiFi as well.

This is said to be the 5th-generation wireless standard and from what we know it could become much faster than a wired connection, and will allow you to download or stream content from a mobile device faster than before. The use of this 5G technology will also help to reduce power consumption, as the WiFi chip will be able to enter into its lower-power mode much faster.

Most of the rumors seem to suggest that the next MacBook Pro will see just a minor refresh, but the same cannot be said for the MacBook Air. The reason we say this is because this model has not seen a major update in several years, and current owners of the older versions now feel it’s about time the design was updated, as well as improving the display to Retina.

What changes would you like to see made to both the MacBook Air and Pro, and what are the chances of seeing new models at WWDC 2013 in June?

Thanks to 9to5Mac.

With WWDC 2013 just a couple of months away now, expectations are high as to what Apple will unveil. We can be almost certain that iOS 7 will see its debut during the event, but what else will we see during the keynote? Well, if recent rumors are anything to go by, then a new MacBook Pro and Air.

A recent report has been looking at sales figures for Apple’s notebook lineup, and while they are not as healthy as Apple had hoped (probably because the iPad is cannibalizing sales), we should still expect to see a minor MacBook Pro and MacBook Air refresh. We have already seen a minor update to the former earlier this year, but surely this is not the last for 2013?

The reason we say this is because NVIDIA has released their new 700M series GPU and is destined for a range of notebooks, so surely the MacBook Pro will be one of them? As for the Air, we imagine it will get the new Haswell processor as well as a facelift, because it’s had the same design since late 2010.

There have been calls for a MacBook Pro with retina display, but this is highly unlikely considering how much more battery power that kind of display consumes, although they maybe able to make a few changes to Mac OS X 10.9.

If Apple is to offer a minor refresh to their notebook lineup, then it’s more than likely that they will be released to coincide with Max OS X 10.9, which is certain to make an appearance during WWDC 2013. However, we do know the team could be running a little behind, as they have had to be pulled off in order to get iOS 7 back on track, as Jony Ive and his team were not as far forward as they would have hoped.

If Apple were to update the MacBook Pro and Air this year, then what would you like to see improved, and is it about time the Air had a makeover?

Microsoft may not be having a great time with their Surface Pro, along with other companies enjoying limited success with their hybrid devices. Apple has yet to get in on the action, but we have seen time and again that while they are not necessarily the first to bring something to the market, they do try and get their timing correct in order to do it right – well usually anyway.

With this in mind it comes as no surprise that Apple has applied for a patent where it looks eerily like a convertible MacBook Pro and iPad. The convergence of both devices will no doubt gain some negative attention from the Apple haters out there, but is it really such a bad idea?

In the patent filing the description is for a computer display that is able to detach itself from the main body, as well as being able to charge itself wirelessly. As we said above, other companies have their own hybrid devices, with CNET News pointing out the Dell XPS 12, but you have to wonder if Apple could make more of a success of things?

It was only last year when Tim Cook ridiculed convertible devices because he said they were more of a compromise. However, we have learned in the past that we should not believe what Apple says. We can give you two examples; the first is when Steve Jobs said they would never get into the cell phone business, and shortly after they released the iPhone. Then a few years later he said Apple were not interested in the tablet market, then not long after we see them unveil the iPad.

Now we are not saying Apple will release a convertible device, but we have to wonder if they will do a far better job of things than Microsoft?

In February Apple saw fit to offer a minor spec bump to their MacBook Pro range, such as an improved CPU and more competitive pricing. However, this is not the update we had been hoping for, although we do expect to see another refreshed model later this year.

Looking at a recent announcement from NVIDIA, we could see a new graphics card in the upcoming 2013 MacBook Pro. The reason we say this is because NVIDIA has launched a new GPU, which they have called the 700M series. There are five models in total; these are the 720M, 735M, 740M, 745M, and the 750M. The former two are for mainstream devices, while the latter three will be for computers designed with performance in mind.

Because the new 700 series has been designed to be more power efficient with no trade-off in performance, 9to5Mac believes we could see the new GPU series being used in the next-gen MacBook Pro with Retina display. We do find it strange why Apple was not mentioned in the press release, where it stated the 700 series would be used in a host of notebooks.

We have to wonder what else Apple will refresh, seeing as though there has already been that minor update a couple of months ago? We cannot see them making any advancements to the retina display, even though the Chromebook Pixel now has a better screen.

Personally we don’t expect to see any major changes, although we could be wrong. Apple has had a though time of late, because not only have they had to release an update in order to resolve the fan issue with the MacBook Pro, they have had to constantly issue updates to iOS 6, which has been one of the worst versions of the mobile OS to date.

Earlier last month Apple updated their MacBook Pro with a minor spec bump and a cheaper price as well. However, you need to be aware that the 2013 Retina MacBook Pro refresh is suffering from an overheating issue.

When we say this is an overheating issue that is actually incorrect, it’s just the fan management believes that there is an overheating problem and so speeds up the fan in order to bring the temperature down, even though it is not hot. We had assumed that this was just an isolated incident, but there are several problems now being reported on the Apple Support Forum in regards to the fan.

Thankfully there is no fear that your Pro will cook itself. Having said that, there is an issue when you consider that you have to put up with a very noisy fan, which can often drown out such things as playing music or watching videos from YouTube.

We’re told that the reason for this fan issue is because Apple switched from Samsung to a Sandisk SSD, and as a result has caused a conflict. One user has said that this has resulted in his SSD giving up on him, while others say they have not been able to replicate the same problem with the fan.

It’s thought that a software update to the 2013 MacBook Pro Retina refresh will rectify this issue, but as yet Apple has refrained from commenting, which is no surprise.

For those who do not believe that this is an issue then view the video below, it certainly gets loud.