An apparent MacBook Pro case leak has been confirmed as legitimate, says AppleInsider. The aluminum shell is described as a prototype but one which is fundamentally similar to what will be used for the future 15-inch MacBook Pro and will mark a first significant redesign since the system's 2006 launch: the narrower but longer battery design will also allow users to access the hard drive themselves without disassembling the whole case, similar to current 13-inch MacBooks.

A completed case is described as slightly thinner but with a more tapered edge than on the largely right-angled current model. Holes visible in the Apple logo and on the bottom are to illuminate the logo and to fit a latch for removing the battery, according to the claimed sources for the report.

In the past, the system has also been rumored to have an oversized trackpad like the MacBook Air, and will be followed by a 13-inch MacBook with an aluminum-based design.

When Apple will launch the finished notebook is unknown, although the company has to wait on Intel to finish releasing all its Centrino 2 platform's processors and chipsets in early August before it can release a complete lineup, as the California system builder is likely to need Intel's X4500 mobile integrated graphics for some systems.