Apple's new MacBook Pro accidentally almost entirely revealed ahead of big Mac event

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Apple has accidentally revealed what appear to be the headline features of its brand new MacBook Pro.

The company is holding an event this week where the new computer is expected to be revealed, potentially alongside some other new Mac products. But it might have accidentally shown its hand too early, accidentally unveiling the new computer in hidden screenshots in the new version of macOS.

Buried within the files of the updated operating system are a set of photos that appear to be intended to serve as part of the guide of using the computer. Scavengers have already found their way into those resource files and found information about the new computer.

The images show a re-designed OLED strip at the top of the computer’s keyboard. That has been long rumoured but never previously seen, and it wasn’t clear exactly how it would work.

The pictures make clear that it will sit where the function keys currently do at the top of the keyboard. And it will be able to change according to what’s happening on the computer – if a user is playing music, for instance, they might turn into music controls.

But the images also show a much less rumoured update to the computer – that it will include the TouchID fingerprint sensor that has been in the iPhone for years. That sensor also sits at the top of the laptop’s keyboard and appears to allow people to unlock their computers just by pressing it, as well as being used to authenticate purchases made on the internet using Apple Pay.

Apple introduced its payment system to macOS with Sierra, the version of the operating system that was unveiled in June and released last month. But at the moment it requires people to use the fingerprint sensor on their phone or iPad.

All of the images show the computer from on top, and so it’s impossible to say how thick either the bottom or the screen will be. But previous leaks have suggested that the new computer is much thinner and lighter than existing models, and the keys seem to be the same flat ones that are used to save space on the thin MacBook and so might suggest that it’ll have some of the same tiny build.

It’s also not possible to see what ports the new computer has in its side. But previous reports have suggested that Apple will do away with the variety of options that sit in the side of the current MacBook Pro – which include an SD card slot and an HDMI port – and swap them for just four USB-C ports and a headphone jack.

As well as the new MacBook Pro, Apple is expected to use its event on Thursday to potentially reveal new iMacs and a display. It might also reveal some other non-Mac products, including the release of the AirPods that it showed off at the iPhone event last month.

It's not the first time recently that Apple has accidentally revealed what they're about to launch. Hours before the event last month, Apple accidentally posted pictures and information about the iPhone 7 on Twitter.