San Francisco, Feb 25 (IANS): Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that the iPhone maker may release its very first ARM-based laptop without an Intel processor as soon as next year.

Kuo believes that the new Mac is coming sometime in the next 12 to 18 months and will feature an in-house processor not developed by Intel, The Verge reported on Monday.

As per report, Apple has never fully confirmed to drop Intel for Mac CPUs, but its job hiring over the last few years have hinted at its intentions to build desktop and laptop chips of its own.

Eralier, Kuo revealed that the iPhone maker is planning to launch a high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro with an A14X chip in the third quarter of 2020 and a refreshed 16-inch MacBook Pro in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Apple supposedly prefers Mini-LED display panels over OLED - especially for its larger devices - because they offer advanced features such as local dimming, wide colour gamut, and high contrast and dynamic range.

Additionally, Kuo expects that Apple will release more Mini-LED hardware over the next two to three years.