Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu told clients that low inventory levels of Apple's MacBook Pro suggest that an update is coming soon, according to The Washington Post. He noted that the Mac platform has plenty of momentum, but said that an update of the MacBook Pro line, which was last updated in June of 2009, would help keep the line "fresh."

He also noted that the entry level MacBook Pro at $1,199 had several features in common with the newest MacBook, which was updated in October. "We believe further differentiation beyond the aluminum casing, SD slot and FireWire can help the MacBook Pro preserve its premium pricing," he said in a research note to clients.

Other improvements in an update would include a new processor from Intel aimed at the mobile market that is both faster and consumes less power, increasing battery life. Current inventory levels led Mr. Wu to say the update could be released before the end of the current quarter in late March or at the beginning of the next quarter, which begins in April.

Mr. Wu has a target price on Apple's stock of $253. The stock closed Monday at $200.656 a gain of $3.597 (+1.83%), on moderate volume of 16.4 million shares trading hands.

[Update: The title was corrected to say MacBook Pro, instead of Mac Pro. - Editor]