Macbook Pro Redesign

[thiagos]

I don't understand what is going on with Apple lately. They have always had the best design ideas out of any other manufacturer out there, but its about time that they update their Cinema Displays, Mac Pro and Macbook Pro lines with a new design.

The new iMac design wasn't really a redesign, they just made it a little thinner, threw in the aluminum casing and black bordered glass screen (the form factor is the exact same one as the white iMac). Same thing with the iPod Classic, the same thing just different casing, are they out of ideas? I just wish Apple would forget about the damn iPhone and focus on what they used to do before, which are computers.

I thought that the Mac Pro would see a new casing update so I guess not (it has just been update today-internally).

I am waiting on a MacBook Pro casing update so I can buy one. I TRULY hope that it is updated on Macworld San Francisco. The MacBook Pro's design has been looking dull lately. I have been seriously looking for a redesign for over 2 years and everytime Apple announces an update on the MacBook Pro line, it disappoints me more and more.

Thoughts?

 

[TBi]

Thoughts?

You shouldn't really base your purchasing decision so much on how a computer looks. The most important aspect is the hardware under the hood. I'd personally love a redesign in the MBP but i'm not going to wait around for one.

 

[masse]

I'd like the macbook pro to be a little uglier to allow for better hardware.

(graphics card).

 

[TBi]

I'd like the macbook pro to be a little uglier to allow for better hardware.

(graphics card).

You could get a better graphics card in there without making it uglier. There are faster graphics cards out there with the same thermal envelope as the 8600GT, apple just won't use them.

 

[wrightc23]

Personall I hope they leave the design exactly as it is. This constant urge to redesign every product is pretty daft. The MacBook Pro is one of the best looking notebooks on the market. If it ain't broke....

I'd be quite happy with a processor update, blu-ray, 17" led and perhaps a higher res option for the 15" model.

 

[DannyBres]

They have to update to the new penryn mobile processors soon. If there was no redesign then surely they would have updated the macbook pro processors at the same time as the mac pro. but they didnt so we may be a redesign next week.

 

[TBi]

Personall I hope they leave the design exactly as it is. This constant urge to redesign every product is pretty daft. The MacBook Pro is one of the best looking notebooks on the market. If it ain't broke....

I'd like a magnetic latch in the current design. Having to press a button to open the display is so last year

 

[xpovos]

If there was no redesign then surely they would have updated the macbook pro processors at the same time as the mac pro. but they didnt so we may be a redesign next week.

Maybe they just need as much keynote time as possible to devote to the very likely ultra-portable announcement & demo. I'm not aware of any credible rumors pointing to a casing redesign of the MBP. I personally would love to see a black anodized aluminum casing for the MBP, but I definitely wouldn't sell my current 17" just for that, and I would hope it would be the only visible design change to a design which is otherwise already gorgeous. They'll have to do 17" LED high-res with Blu-Ray and at least a 320GB hard drive standard before I consider dropping yet another $3000.

 

[CashGap]

Apple may be wrong, but they are betting that "Pros" buy the "Pro" machine based on feature/function and accept the current great design.

If it turns out that lots of "Pros" buy because they want to be asked "Ooooh... is that the new one?", they'll suffer.

 

[iBunny]

I dont think they will change the way it looks. I dont know what else they could do to it. I hope it wont look like the new iMacs... that would be weird to have a black border screen for a Laptop...

Anyway, I beleeive if they just update the CPU to Penryn, Update the 15'' Resolution to 1680x1050, and Give Us the 8800M GTS 512MB Graphics Card, we can call that a pretty successful update.

 

[thiagos]

I dont think they will change the way it looks. I dont know what else they could do to it. I hope it wont look like the new iMacs... that would be weird to have a black border screen for a Laptop...

Anyway, I beleeive if they just update the CPU to Penryn, Update the 15'' Resolution to 1680x1050, and Give Us the 8800M GTS 512MB Graphics Card, we can call that a pretty successful update.

Well, the aluminum design is the best looking material out there for a laptop/computer. I am not asking for a complete redesign, just some tweaks.
To start, the edges of the MacBook Pro around the speakers and screen look a little outdated, as well as the latch, it should have been updated to magnetic a long time ago. For example, make a little more similar (refined) to the MacBook line but with the Pro look.

The keyboard keys are outdated, not just the design itself but the functions.
Also the Apple Remote. I wish they would have designed a remote that would fit in the Express Card, which is a waste of space when you are not using it, and to carry that remote everywhere with you its a pain in the arse.

Apple has excellent engineers/designers which could have come out with those refinements a long time ago. Everything they do now is towards the iPhone and the many ways they can make it harder for people to unlock it. I just hope they don't become another Microsoft, which focuses in one product and forget about the rest.

 

[philgilder]

Apple has excellent engineers/designers which could have come out with those refinements a long time ago. Everything they do now is towards the iPhone and the many ways they can make it harder for people to unlock it. I just hope they don't become another Microsoft, which focuses in one product and forget about the rest.

i think with the release of 10.5.1 a few days after 10.5 and the new mac pros and xservs its safe to say they are still developing other products
most of the changes wanted are minor, and apple seems to have similar designs thorough-out the range of products, but i dont see where glass would go on the mbp
i think its very well designed at the moment
i even like the keyboard, i havent tried the new macbook style one so i cant say if its better...

 

[akadmon]

Redesign -- hell yeah!!! For one, I want to be able to easily replace the hd, so I can upgrade/fix it myself without paying someone to do it or possibly breaking something if I do it myself. Also, the current design wastes so much space on the side of the keyboard for speakers. Why? If I want to actually enjoy the sound on a laptop (listen to music or play a game), I'll plug in some decent headphones. I don't need a pair of tinny 4" speakers to listen to system beeps. Apple would do well to use that space for some sort of touch input (in lieu of the wide trackpad we've seen in the recent mockups).

 

[wake6830]

I'll be buying two on the 15th or shortly thereafter, for my wife and I so that we don't have to share our nearly 2 year old macbook anymore.

As far as hardware goes, I'd really like if they updated the keyboard and gave it a magnetic latch. I wouldn't mind a bump in the video card and hard drive size either, especially if they made the hd easily user-replaceable like the MB. The only other thing I can really think of would be a hi-res screen option.

I like the MBP's looks, but a black option could be nice.

 

[ntrigue]

I would like to see an external optical drive. 0.25"-0.5" thinner than it is. Magnetic latch. Lighter by 1.5lbs.

These are all within reason...

 

[Josheua]

I would like to see an external optical drive. 0.25"-0.5" thinner than it is. Magnetic latch. Lighter by 1.5lbs.

These are all within reason...

Yeah...thats the ultra portable macbook in a nut-shell. So just shell out the cash for that baby. It will be a cold day in Hell when Apple decides to remove the optical drive from a mainstream 15.4" pro-level machine with dedicated graphics. Regardless of people's personal opinions, Pro's need their optical drives with them at all times.

As for a macbook pro redesign itself, I wouldn't expect one till this summer when Intel's new chipset is released with all the new bells and whistles that come with it. Besides, If Apple does release this new ultraportable macbook, I would imagine that it will have recieved as much attention as the iPhone and will have taken up numerous Apple designers' time. Meaning that time spent on an Macbook Pro case redesign will be allocated for some time AFTER this product's release. Remember, Apple only has one Jonathan Ives.

What I would expect January 15th. A lot of Hullabaloo about this ultraportable coupled with brand spankin' new cinema displays.

-Josh

 

[jnc]

I couldn't care less for thin, but light is nice. How's about a 4lb 13" MBP with USB/fw external optical?

 

[wallaby]

Not sure what you people wanting a redesign are looking for, outside of a magnetic latch. Having played with the magnetic latches on MB and owning a MBP, I prefer the button-latch, which allows for a more flush exterior instead of an indent like on the MB's. Visually, I don't think there is much to change on the Macbook Pro. It's a decent design; change just for the sake of change is not a valid argument. Though I wouldn't mind a more durable/thicker metal used on the casing, the current aluminum seems so fragile.

 

[ls10flpanyc]

Yeah, so judging from the new Mac Pro that was announced today, I predict a MBP redesign and hardware update. So everyone can be happy.

 

[capitanbuzo]

Before today, I wouldn't say there was going to be a redesign. Now, I say it is likely. The MP has officially adopted the MB style keyboard. Even though I prefer the MBP's current keyboard layout, I can see it being adopted into it since the rest of the line has that keyboard. I also see the need for a user replaceable HDD. I think it will be updated either next week or in June.

 

[thiagos]

Before today, I wouldn't say there was going to be a redesign. Now, I say it is likely. The MP has officially adopted the MB style keyboard. Even though I prefer the MBP's current keyboard layout, I can see it being adopted into it since the rest of the line has that keyboard. I also see the need for a user replaceable HDD. I think it will be updated either next week or in June.

I hope so. Here are some things I noticed that a redesign might be coming soon (I always get my hopes up but it doesn't really work out well).

All MacBook Pros are shipping with the old Tiger Restore Discs and the Leopard drop in DVD. Meaning Apple does not want to waste money into updating the restore discs with Leopard since an update might be coming out soon with Leopard 10.5.2.

All Macbooks already come with the Leopard Restore Discs, so I don't think there will be any updates on the Macbook line for now.

Apple Macbook Pros have the old keyboard layout keys which is missing some of Leopard's function keys.

Also Apple has been holding on the release of Leopard 10.5.2, so we might see some hardware innovations.