Apple is preparing an updated MacBook Pro for later this year

Apple is planning to launch an updated version of the MacBook Pro later this year, according to a new report from Bloomberg ace Mark Gurman.

This updated MacBook Pro could feature a new Apple-designed chip designed for low-power consumption.

Apple designs the primary application processor chip inside of its iPhones, a major competitive advantage that allows Apple's phones and tablets to boast better performance than Android devices.

Using that expertise from the iPhone, Apple is planning to add more Apple-designed silicon to the Mac, according to the Bloomberg report. The report notes Apple is not planning to dump Intel, which makes the processors for Macs, anytime in the near future, but that a new Apple-made chip might show up in the new version of the MacBook Pro that may release later this year, according to the report.

Instead, the new Apple chip, codenamed T310, will be based on the embedded processor currently used in the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, which is used for the computer's eponymous Touch Bar technology as well as Touch ID. In the new MacBook Pro coming later this year, the new Apple chip could run the laptop's low-power mode to fetch emails and other data while the computer is asleep, leading to lower power consumption and better battery life.

Apple leadership has implied some of the reason for complaints about Apple's latest laptops have been related to Intel chip limitations. Apple is also suing its primary mobile silicon partner, Qualcomm, for $1 billion.