Maybe it'll get delayed, but I'm thinking October. A pro-level Mac released a month after the iPhone doesn't meaningfully distract from the iPhone.
Same processors as the 2019 15" (not all of them - I'm betting the 6-core won't appear on the new machine). It'll either be the stock 8-core and the CTO 8-core (2 models), or only the CTO 8-core. Possible (less likely in my opinion) that it's a single model with the stock 8-core stock (and the CTO available as a CTO option only). I don't think they'd go that close to the present configurations, but I could be wrong.
Vega 16 or 20 standard, probably one (Vega?, Navi?) option above the Vega 20.
Either 16 GB RAM standard with 32 and possibly 64 GB options OR 32 GB standard with 64 GB option. If two models, the lower one may start with 16 GB, while the top model starts with 32 GB.
If there's one model, 512 GB standard with 1, 2, 4 TB options. If there are two models, the top model may well have 1 TB standard. Slight chance of an 8 TB option (if you have to ask, you can't afford it...), especially if Apple cuts their flash prices to closer to market rates. An 8 TB option should be around $1500-$2000, which means Apple would like to charge $3000 for it, but the current price of the 4 TB option would push it closer to $5000.
New keyboard (not 5th Gen Butterfly) - I think a numeric keypad is very unlikely - Apple has only once offered one in a laptop... ***What was it? Answer at end of post***
I don't think this will be the Taptic Keyboard Mac (although I think we'll see one soon - on the next MacBook along with an ARM CPU). I think there's some chance that this keyboard will be some sort of super-slim mechanical keyboard - partly to justify having two keyboards (bigger notebooks get a mechanical keyboard to type all day, smaller get the taptic keyboard).
Mostly TB3 ports (4) - slight chance of a single USB-A and/or a single HDMI. I think the chances of one or both improved since the new Mac Pro proves that Apple occasionally backtracks. Some chance of USB 4.0 - Apple's USB 3.1/TB3 ports are most of the way there already - implement faster USB that only a few peripherals know about and it's USB 4.0 (the standard is 20 Gbps USB plus 40 Gbps Thunderbolt in a single port, and Apple is already at 10 Gbps USB plus 40 Gbps Thunderbolt). We certainly won't lose any fast ports to add a convenience port or two, but there's enough reason for one USB-A (memory keys, charging cables for watches and other weird things) and/or one HDMI (projectors, which are often permanently installed) that either one seems possible. The only HDMI that would make sense is full-size, since we'd have to use an adapter most of the time for any small HDMI (and why not simply adapt a USB-C port instead).
Improved cooling.
I think the price will only be around $300 above a comparably configured 2019 15" MBP. The catch will be that all configurations are big configurations. It will probably have a base price around $2999-$3299, depending on how generous the base configuration is. There won't be a 6-core processor, a Radeon 560X or a 256 GB SSD to push the base price down. As for the top configuration? Somewhere between $6499 and $7999, depending on how outrageously it can be configured. If it's at the $6499 end, it'll max out at 32 GB of RAM (or RAM is reasonable enough that 64 GB is only a +$400 option or something) and a 4 TB SSD. If it's closer to $7999, that means it has an 8 TB SSD option.
ANSWER: The 1989 Mac Portable offered a numeric keypad option replacing the trackball to the right of the keyboard (it required an external mouse if the keypad was installed).
