Brad McCarty, writing about the rumored MacBook Pro refresh for The Next Web:

  1. MacBook Pros would take on an Air-like form factor – Probably (hopefully) true
  2. The refresh would start with the 15-inch version – Very likely true
  3. New Pros would take on the Ivy Bridge CPUs – Almost definitely true
  4. No more optical drives - Very likely true
  5. Non-replacable SSD in Air - Possibly true
I highly doubt Apple will start this refresh with the 15-inch MacBook Pro because the 13-inch model is not only more popular, but it's also the most affordable by far. I mean, have you looked at the price difference between a MacBook Pro 15-inch and a 13-inch lately? It's only $600. A move like this wouldn't just be ridiculous, it'd be unlike Apple. Yes, I am saying that it definitely won't happen. I don't care what someone's sources tell them; I don't believe any sources. Why do you think people buy the 13-inch model? Portability.

In regards to point number three, of course they will -- this has been obvious for ages now. No more optical drives, though? I don't see that major feature removal happening just yet. And why would they make the solid state drive non-replaceable? They've let us swap our regular hard drives for SSDs before without a fuss, so why start changing things up now? I don't think that Apple will force us to upgrade with them just yet, but I can see it in the future.