Apple MacBook Pro images leaked just hours ahead of Microsoft's Surface PC unveiling

No escape from the Apple MacBook hype

Images of the long overdue update to Apple's MacBook Pro have been leaked just hours before Microsoft is expected to unveil its new Surface PC and, possibly, Surface smartphone.

The images were picked up by MacRumours, after the release of macOS Sierra 10.12.1 on Tuesday, which includes hidden Apple Pay images that show off the as-yet-unannounced MacBook Pro with OLED touch panel that's set to be announced by Apple on Thursday.

The image (above) appears to confirm talk of a so-called 'Magic Toolbar', which will arrive in the form of an OLED touch bar located at the top of the MacBook Pro's keyboard in place of traditional function keys.

It also seems suggests that the toolbar will be dynamic, allowing it to display contextual content on its display depending on the task at hand. In the leaked image, the touch panel features an Apple Pay interface, which also confirms its baked-in Touch ID support.

In a move that likely will cause unnecessary uproar, the image also confirms that the ESC key has been completely removed in favor of the Magic Toolbar.

MacRumours notes that the updated keyboard also features the new arrow key layout from the current 12-inch Retina MacBook, and has spotted that the laptop will have thinner speakers that take up the whole left and right side of the device.

Beyond that, the leaked snapshot doesn't reveal much else about the new MacBook Pro, which is expected to launch in both 13-inch and 15-inch models.

Speculation has it, though, that Apple's new MacBook Pros will ditch traditional USB connectivity, along with MagSafe and Thunderbolt 2, in favour of USB-C connectivity.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also spilled some details about the incoming laptops, revealing that both 13-inch and 15-inch laptops with a sub-processor similar to that seen inside the Apple Watch. a 2TB SSD storage capacity option and 6th-generation Intel Skylake internals, rather than the firm's newer Kaby Lake offering.

We'll be covering Apple's MacBook launch as it happens from 6pm on Thursday.