So I was wondering first off when the 2019 MBP is expected to be released. Can we expect the same timeline as the 2018 model?
Nobody knows whether
there even will be a 2019 MBP or when it will come out. That said, I'm willing to speculate below.
Also, will the 2019 model feature the intel 9th gen. processors?
If there is a 2019 refresh, almost certainly.
If so, would that mean a potentially later release date. I don’t want to be stuck with a MBP that is cursed with a slower processor due to the Meltdown/Spectre bug.
Not necessarily. The appropriate Intel 9th gen chips are supposed to be released in Q2, so
if Intel is on-time and that's all Apple's waiting for, a refresh by mid-year would be a possibility.
I think if there is a 2019 MBP (and there probably will be, if only because Apple is in a habit of updating the MBP on a yearly basis), it could be such a minor update that it gets announced via press release, much like the Vega MBPs were announced via press release. Most people expect that next year is when Apple will release a significantly redesigned MBP.
As for when it comes out, if it's announced via press release, it could come out any time after the 9th Gen chips become available in quantity (supposedly Q2 2019). However, I wouldn't be surprised if they were announced at WWDC (likely in June). WWDC is a developer and software-focused event, but Apple has used it to make hardware announcements before.
This year, there's a high likelihood of Apple having some new hardware of great interest to developers (i.e. the Mac Pro, the new Pro monitor, and possibly a refreshed iMac Pro). If the timing lines up, it could make a lot of sense to announce them at WWDC. As part of that kind of hardware event, announcing a refreshed MBP could be one more thing Apple throws in to take advantage of all the press coverage and to continue to push back against the narrative that Apple doesn't "care" about developers or demanding computing tasks.