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Do you think the next revision MBP will have a new case design?

  • Yes

    Votes: 32 33.3%
  • No

    Votes: 64 66.7%

  • Total voters
    96

macjay

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 3, 2003
366
0
Do you think the next revision of the MBP will have a new case design?
 

Pressure

macrumors 603
May 30, 2006
5,182
1,546
Denmark
I doubt it.

I still see the current design great, at least compared to most (if not all) other brand designs.

They will most likely incorporate the magnetic latch of the MacBook but I am still doubting whether or not they will make the hard disk easy accessible as seen on the MacBook.

So I am guessing minor changes.
 

EGT

macrumors 68000
Sep 4, 2003
1,605
1
I can't see them changing the material any time soon, but I hope they make improvements such as magnetic latch like the Macbook and better access to the hard drive.

Ohh yeah, a darker shade would be pretty nice looking too.
 

mopppish

macrumors 6502
Nov 27, 2005
356
1
The MacBook Pro has the same PowerBook G4 case, something needs to change after 4 years.
It's not really the same, though. Granted, it looks mostly the same, but there are some design changes. It's thinner. Minor things, sure, but how much can you improve upon perfection? :)
That being said, I wouldn't doubt if a redesign happened relatively soon, but I would expect a few more releases in the current configuration first. Perhaps a major new internal change (quad processors, flash memory) will warrant a radical exterior change.
 

zap2

macrumors 604
Mar 8, 2005
7,252
8
Washington D.C
They should have atleast put the same thing that the MacBooks got, easy to switch out harddrive and RAM, magnetic latch, and maybe that new keyboard
 

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,243
3,501
Pennsylvania
I just hope it has at least one of the following..
1, a touch screen
2, longer battery (in terms of hours, not minutes)
3, 2 button mouse
4, darker case
 

pianoman

macrumors 68000
May 31, 2006
1,963
0
i doubt a major change will happen but it would be nice to see them moving on from the PowerBook-like design.

i like the design of the current MBPs but i think change is due.

what would you suggest the new case look like, macjay?
 

zign

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2006
284
0
London
I just hope it has at least one of the following..
1, a touch screen
2, longer battery (in terms of hours, not minutes)
3, 2 button mouse
4, darker case

1. What for?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. That would be nice!
3. Nooooo :) I hate using pc laptops due to 2 buttons. You have the 2finger click. It's much easier than taking your fingers of the track pad to find and click the right button.
4. could be interesting

i personally wouldn't want the deisng to change...
 

bonkiebonks

macrumors newbie
Mar 10, 2007
20
0
Auckland, NZ
theyd better let us if they are changing the design or not!

Im wanting to get a MBP but at the same time, i do not want go get an MBP only to find it being superceded by a newer and better looking MBP!

I agree the current design looks gorgeous, but I have a feeling it will be redesigned soon.
 

briantology

macrumors 6502
Jun 5, 2006
289
0
theyd better let us if they are changing the design or not!

Im wanting to get a MBP but at the same time, i do not want go get an MBP only to find it being superceded by a newer and better looking MBP!

I agree the current design looks gorgeous, but I have a feeling it will be redesigned soon.

Might as well order it now so you can get a good few weeks or so of use so when a revision does come out, you want feel that bad. That's what I did at least. Or you could just buy a refurb. CD, then you know that your not getting top-o-the-line so when something new comes out you can't feel regret (well, yea you could).
 

ToastMaster

macrumors regular
Nov 10, 2005
217
0
Tacoma, WA
I would personally like to see a darker color. A black MBP would be pretty sweet. It would at least match my iPod. Hmmm... but not my Mighty Mouse.

And a little vanity thing... I'd love it if there were multiple colored LEDs in the apple on the back of the screen (which maybe one could change to display different colors in system prefs). Impractical, too flashy, tacky, perhaps, but I'd still like it. Besides, black laptops are just dying for a colored Apple logo on the back.
 

dougnewman

macrumors 6502
Aug 9, 2006
270
0
Long Island, NY, USA
Depends on how you define "new".

I would like to see - and would not be totally surprised to see - small refinements, in particular a MacBook-style latch (I'm not fond of the one on my PowerBook) and a user-upgradeable hard drive.

A totally new case though? I doubt it. Apple has, at this point, created a very specific design language for each of its product lines. And the MPB is the longest-standing of those, with a very clear family resemblance between the entire PB/MBP family from the original TiBook right through to today. The appearance of a pro Apple notebook has become a computing icon. Just like the Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad design, I expect Apple to stay with this aesthetic until some paradigm shift renders it totally obsolete, whether that is in 5, 10, 20 years or whatever.

Even the MacBook, whose case design was totally new, is clearly an evolution of the white iBook G3. Again, this is the appointed official "look" for a consumer Apple notebook.

The current iMac and Mac mini are probably pretty much aesthetically set in stone too, though the iMac has had the most major design changes (three) of the Second Jobs Era. (But then, one could argue that the original iMac design lasted, via the eMac, right up to the extinction of the CRT display, so the only "odd one out" was the LCD iMac G4.) The Mac mini design is clearly now the Appointed Official Apple Look for products of that size, having not only been appropriated for :apple:tv but also with the AirPort Extreme having been redesigned to mimic it. This even extends to the AirPort Express's resemblance to every modern Apple notebook power adapter, and the Apple Remote with the original iPod shuffle.

And of course the iPod itself is iconic, though if we see the full-sized iPod become flash-based, it will be time for a major redesign. What will stay, of course, is the omnipresent click wheel - the iPod design signature.

And Apple's displays - well, this is what a modern display is supposed to look like; namely, a panel with the thinnest bezel and most unobtrusive stand possible. But then, everybody does that.

What's missing here? The Mac Pro! Not a design icon, IMHO. Minitowers are simply not sexy enough to really sink into the public consciousness. But I expect the current aesthetic to stick around, because it matches the look of the MacBook Pro, and that is an icon. So there.
 

Pressure

macrumors 603
May 30, 2006
5,182
1,546
Denmark
What's missing here? The Mac Pro! Not a design icon, IMHO. Minitowers are simply not sexy enough to really sink into the public consciousness. But I expect the current aesthetic to stick around, because it matches the look of the MacBook Pro, and that is an icon. So there.

I would like to disagree on that point. The design of the Mac Pro is just gorgeous. I see no tower challenging it at this time. The minimalistic design approach is great.

I have even been looking into getting a Mac Pro case and using it for my PC...
 

macjay

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 3, 2003
366
0
A totally new case though? I doubt it. Apple has, at this point, created a very specific design language for each of its product lines. And the MPB is the longest-standing of those, with a very clear family resemblance between the entire PB/MBP family from the original TiBook right through to today. The appearance of a pro Apple notebook has become a computing icon. Just like the Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad design, I expect Apple to stay with this aesthetic until some paradigm shift renders it totally obsolete, whether that is in 5, 10, 20 years or whatever.

Even the MacBook, whose case design was totally new, is clearly an evolution of the white iBook G3. Again, this is the appointed official "look" for a consumer Apple notebook.

The current motif of Apple's line, with the exception of the MB, is aluminum. I think this could change. However, great points and it is true that the alum PB/MBP's exterior is basically identical to the titanium PB, and the MB's exterior is identical (besides the shape) to the dual-USB iBook which it replaced. Although there is no reason why the MBP could not change just like it did when it went from titanium to aluminum.

I would like to see - and would not be totally surprised to see - small refinements, in particular a MacBook-style latch (I'm not fond of the one on my PowerBook) and a user-upgradeable hard drive.

Personally, I like the old-school latch. To me, it says "quality." Kind of like having a manual watch vs. a digital watch.
 

macjay

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 3, 2003
366
0
I'd like to see a change at least to a darker aluminum color, if not a change of material (perhaps carbon fiber or something else). I'd also like the MBP to have a slightly "warmer" look. The titanium PB and the PB G3's before it all had a much warmer design.
 

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
24,889
921
Location Location Location
I think if they make a dark grey model people will go nuts over it.

Don't see them losing the design too, maybe just make some more refinements to it.

Honestly, if they changed the colour to a dark grey, that'd be enough of a change for most people. Add a magnetic latch, easily accessible HD, and that's a big enough design change for most people to consider it brand new and make everyone happy.
 

spicyapple

macrumors 68000
Jul 20, 2006
1,724
1
I don't think Apple will have a new case design anytime soon although if they return to plastic, I would not mind. Aluminum is sexy and all but it dents easily. I want a notebook that's durable enough so I don't need to baby it all the time.
 

dougnewman

macrumors 6502
Aug 9, 2006
270
0
Long Island, NY, USA
I would like to disagree on that point. The design of the Mac Pro is just gorgeous. I see no tower challenging it at this time. The minimalistic design approach is great.
Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful case - it's just that I don't think that it's sunk into the public consciousness the way the other Apple designs have.
 

dougnewman

macrumors 6502
Aug 9, 2006
270
0
Long Island, NY, USA
The current motif of Apple's line, with the exception of the MB, is aluminum.
The exception of the MacBook, the iMac, the full-sized iPod, Mac mini, :apple:tv and AirPort Extreme.

macjay said:
Personally, I like the old-school latch. To me, it says "quality." Kind of like having a manual watch vs. a digital watch.
Moving parts = less durable.

I also really dislike the button for the latch on my PB. The bright silver paint has worn off to show a darker metal color underneath, and the inside of the little bezel has had the paint flake off. Not pretty.
 

xlii

macrumors 68000
Sep 19, 2006
1,867
121
Millis, Massachusetts
I just posted a new thread about a problem with the current C2D MBP case.

Title = MacBookpro with bent slotdrive

The metal above the slotdrive is very flimsy. Just the normal pressure of using that area as a palmrest for the right hand when typing appears to have bend the slot till the top and bottom of the slot were touching in the middle. I was able to bend it back and eject the disk that was stuck in the drive.

The metal case is gorgous by the way.
 
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