The next MacBook Pro redesign (merged)

[doitdada]

AMD Teases Next-Gen Polaris GPU, Promises A Sneak Peak At March 14 “Capsaicin” Event
http://techfrag.com/2016/03/12/amd-...ses-a-sneak-peak-at-march-14-capsaicin-event/

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Honestly, I'm fine with the current rMBP thickness, though I'm expecting an updated keyboard design ala MacBook but with the key travel of traditional notebooks, probably a bump to 14" and 16".

With the thickness I think most people are fine. What I don't like are the bezels around the screens on the laptops.
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I would love a 14" screen in the body of the current 13" and a quad core CPU too. I am also fine with the dimensions of the Macbook Pro. I would want more battery life and a quad core CPU more than a thinner design. Unless they can make the 15" into a 16" that weighs the same as the current 13".. Oh the fun of speculation.

That would make me upgrade. And only that.

 

[luismarques89]

With the thickness I think most people are fine. What I don't like are the bezels around the screens on the laptops.
[doublepost=1458026391][/doublepost]

That would make me upgrade. And only that.

With this Intel CPU launched http://ark.intel.com/products/90615/Intel-Core-i7-6822EQ-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-2_80-GHz I think a 13-14" RMBP with a quad core is possible.
Ok, it's not as powerful as 45W CPUs, but I doubt Apple is able to get a 45W CPU into the 13-14" RMBP.

 

[Patrick-Photo]

With this Intel CPU launched http://ark.intel.com/products/90615/Intel-Core-i7-6822EQ-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-2_80-GHz I think a 13-14" RMBP with a quad core is possible.
Ok, it's not as powerful as 45W CPUs, but I doubt Apple is able to get a 45W CPU into the 13-14" RMBP.

Sadly it has an HD530 instead of the Iris 550. I doubt that it has enough raw power to deliver a fluent experience on highres screens as the rMBPs have.

 

[luismarques89]

Sadly it has an HD530 instead of the Iris 550. I doubt that it has enough raw power to deliver a fluent experience on highres screens as the rMBPs have.

Yeah, sorry, didn't check the IGPU. I'm blind, so I don't value GPUs.

 

[vatter69]

Well i have an early 2013 rmbp being powered by an HD4000 which is maybe 25% as fast as the 530 and it still very fluent.

 

[Patrick-Photo]

Well i have an early 2013 rmbp being powered by an HD4000 which is maybe 25% as fast as the 530 and it still very fluent.

Until you want to play an moderate game, you have to turn everything down... Besides the 15" has around 20/25% more pixels than the 13" to power. It would be a shame if they would use a less balanced solution in my opinion (gpu/cpu balance).

 

[luismarques89]

Until you want to play an moderate game, you have to turn everything down... Besides the 15" has around 20/25% more pixels than the 13" to power. It would be a shame if they would use a less balanced solution in my opinion (gpu/cpu balance).

I'm sorry, but, clearly, the 13" RMBP was not designed with gaming in mind.
It's obvious that a 13-14" RMBP can't house a 25W quad core CPU and a non-low-end dedicated GPU. And even a 45W CPU similar to those inside the 15" RMBPs, I have my doubts.

 

[marka351]

Here is a video that the YouTube Channel EveryThingApplePro did

which has the list of upgrades that he would like to see. I think that the list is pretty reasonable, nothing overly outrageous.

 

[justin216]

I'm sorry, but, clearly, the 13" RMBP was not designed with gaming in mind.
It's obvious that a 13-14" RMBP can't house a 25W quad core CPU and a non-low-end dedicated GPU. And even a 45W CPU similar to those inside the 15" RMBPs, I have my doubts.

It's not that it "can't", it's that Apple doesn't want a loud (and hot running) laptop. They also clearly see from sales history that most buyers are fine with 28W CPUs for the 13" rMBP. So, why create a (likely) compromised experience for 95% of the audience, just to please 5% that needs every ounce of performance potential in that size machine.

To give a very recent example, the Razer Blade 14" was just updated yesterday, has a 45W Skylake Quad-Core and 6GB nVidia 970M graphics, and the package is very similar in size to the rMBP 13. Yeah, it's probably hot as the surface of the sun if you're actually gaming on it on your lap or similar, but the configuration exists...just not in Apple's lineup.

It really boils down to Apple not wanting to canabalize their more expensive 15" line, and they likely felt the drawbacks to shove a higher TDP part in weren't worth it for most buyers. I'd prefer the option to exist, but also understand it won't happen until Intel releases a part that matches the necessary specs, or Apple comes to terms with CPU throttling/downclocking to make a higher-end part work.

 

[luismarques89]

It's not that it "can't", it's that Apple doesn't want a loud (and hot running) laptop. They also clearly see from sales history that most buyers are fine with 28W CPUs for the 13" rMBP. So, why create a (likely) compromised experience for 95% of the audience, just to please 5% that needs every ounce of performance potential in that size machine.

To give a very recent example, the Razer Blade 14" was just updated yesterday, has a 45W Skylake Quad-Core and 6GB nVidia 970M graphics, and the package is very similar in size to the rMBP 13. Yeah, it's probably hot as the surface of the sun if you're actually gaming on it on your lap or similar, but the configuration exists...just not in Apple's lineup.

It really boils down to Apple not wanting to canabalize their more expensive 15" line, and they likely felt the drawbacks to shove a higher TDP part in weren't worth it for most buyers. I'd prefer the option to exist, but also understand it won't happen until Intel releases a part that matches the necessary specs, or Apple comes to terms with CPU throttling/downclocking to make a higher-end part work.

Yeah, your explanation is much more complete and straight than mine.
I subscribe all your points.
And, looking back to my usage pathern and preferences, I wouldn't mind such possibility to exist.
The more configurations Apple sells, the more likely one of those configurations suits me (15W CPU in the 15" RMBP body would be perfect).

But coming back to the 13" RMBP and the Razer Blade, the higher performance components of the former don't leave room for a as big battery, so Apple would need to redesign the battery, not to talk about the logic board.

Ultimately, it's likely a mix of higher temps, higher noise, lower battery life and battery capacity, and low demand as well.

 

[applesith]

All I really want is USB-C, thinner bezel and adding Siri thru a keyboard shortcut like Ctrl+Command or Command+Alt. Space Grey would be nice, but I think new colors is a given with any redesign.

 

[TRDGT4Writer]

I think Apple should go with a thinner design if they can at least match the battery life of the current laptops.

Any thinner, it'll break.
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It's not that it "can't", it's that Apple doesn't want a loud (and hot running) laptop. They also clearly see from sales history that most buyers are fine with 28W CPUs for the 13" rMBP. So, why create a (likely) compromised experience for 95% of the audience, just to please 5% that needs every ounce of performance potential in that size machine.

To give a very recent example, the Razer Blade 14" was just updated yesterday, has a 45W Skylake Quad-Core and 6GB nVidia 970M graphics, and the package is very similar in size to the rMBP 13. Yeah, it's probably hot as the surface of the sun if you're actually gaming on it on your lap or similar, but the configuration exists...just not in Apple's lineup.

It really boils down to Apple not wanting to canabalize their more expensive 15" line, and they likely felt the drawbacks to shove a higher TDP part in weren't worth it for most buyers. I'd prefer the option to exist, but also understand it won't happen until Intel releases a part that matches the necessary specs, or Apple comes to terms with CPU throttling/downclocking to make a higher-end part work.

Agreed. More Power=More Heat. But, as people want a thin yet powerful laptop, technology allows the engineers to think of the best cooling techniques so that your lap is safe and not on fire.

 

[duervo]

AMD Teases Next-Gen Polaris GPU, Promises A Sneak Peak At March 14 “Capsaicin” Event
http://techfrag.com/2016/03/12/amd-...ses-a-sneak-peak-at-march-14-capsaicin-event/

TL;DR - I'll believe it when I see it.

AMD aren't expected to be using HBM until first half of 2017, at the earliest (GDDR5 until then,) so I wouldn't expect any great leaps until then. It will be more incremental than anything else, and like all "released" specs and benchmarks, they usually are representative of ideal conditions most supportive of the product being showcased (basic marketing.)

I stopped paying too much attention to these "sneak peeks" years ago after repeatedly seeing both nVidia and AMD/ATi come running out with chest-thumping bravado, only to find that their actually shipping products rarely (if ever) live up to the hype. It's always "something" that fails to impress.

Come to think of it, there have only been a handful of times where I have been genuinely impressed:

- Nehalem architecture from Intel.
- SSD's.
- NVMe SSD's.
- First consumer-grade 3D graphics card from 3dfx, running GLQuake.

Rest of technology improvements have been pretty much incremental improvements.

Oh wait .. I forgot one: 40Gb networks ... that's sort of impressive to see.

 

[PKBeam]

Any thinner, it'll break.

I present to you: the retina MacBook.

 

[Seed101]

Am I the only person in the world who would love to see the pen(cil) input on rMBP as in the Surface Pro? ( with similar fold back keyboard?)

Love the idea of iPad pro as a sketchbook but would like to use programs I know and love, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Z-Brush...I know there is Astro Pad but the point being I want the freedom of the pad with programs I use..

 

[AirdanMR]

Am I the only person in the world who would love to see the pen(cil) input on rMBP as in the Surface Pro? ( with similar fold back keyboard?)

Love the idea of iPad pro as a sketchbook but would like to use programs I know and love, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Z-Brush...I know there is Astro Pad but the point being I want the freedom of the pad with programs I use..

I would like it too! But I would be happy if just the trackpad will act as a wacom tablet with the pencil. Wouldn't it be great? Another purschase less for artists (wacom), the pen could even be integrated on the chassis somehow.

Touchscreen is very usable with pencil, even for user interfaces that aren't designed for touch, look at this video when he navigate between menus or explore files in the classic windows UI folders.

 

[duervo]

I would like it too! But I would be happy if just the trackpad will act as a wacom tablet with the pencil. Wouldn't it be great? Another purschase less for artists (wacom), the pen could even be integrated on the chassis somehow.

Touchscreen is very usable with pencil, even for user interfaces that aren't designed for touch, look at this video when he navigate between menus or explore files in the classic windows UI folders.

That video is sped up significantly, so I'm not sure how anybody could glean anything useful about the ease of desktop UI navigation with a stylus/Pencil. It's neat and cool in an entertaining sort of way, but I don't find any value in it to come to any sort of useful conclusion.

Also, the use of "Speed Sculpting" in the title of a video that was simply sped up during editing, and modified to give the illusion of real speed lends support to the position that it should not be taken very seriously.

I could do some time lapse photography of grass growing, make a video of it and speed up the playback, and post it on YouTube with "Soeed Growing" in the title. Wouldn't be much different than the tactics used in that one.

 

[Seed101]

That video is sped up significantly, so I'm not sure how anybody could glean anything useful about the ease of desktop UI navigation with a stylus/Pencil. It's neat and cool in an entertaining sort of way, but I don't find any value in it to come to any sort of useful conclusion.

Also, the use of "Speed Sculpting" in the title of a video that was simply sped up during editing, and modified to give the illusion of real speed lends support to the position that it should not be taken very seriously.

I could do some time lapse photography of grass growing, make a video of it and speed up the playback, and post it on YouTube with "Soeed Growing" in the title. Wouldn't be much different than the tactics used in that one.

Hmmm...'Speed Sculpting' clue's in the title...all those videos are 'sped up' not necessarily to show how fast they can do it but to save you watching for two or three hours or so..

It's just really nice to sculpt directly onto the model...( or draw directly onto a screen) rather than use mouse, trackpad or even a Wacom. It feels great and very direct.

It's the future and I'd like to be able to do that on a Mac! ( tried the iPad pro, and that's great..)

 

[AirdanMR]

That's fair, but just go to min 0:59 where he opens the file and slow down to x0.25

The thing is, if you know how to write, and can put a dot in the letter i, a pencil should be equally precise as a mouse once you get used to it. And it's a pencil who is not got used to use one?

A few years ago I used wacom pencil as mouse (a part as pencil) and there is not a step backwards from the mouse at all. I even tried to play fps online with it, but lol the drivers doesn't work like that

 

[Oppenheim]

I have a feeling this MBP will look just like a thinner 2008 or 2012 model. However, the screen will be completely detachable.

The only explanation for the delay is that a big design step forward is coming.

 

[mjs402]

What if the next MacBook Pro redesign had only 2-3 Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports and a headphone jack? :/

 

[Oppenheim]

What if the next MacBook Pro redesign had only 2-3 Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports and a headphone jack? :/

Don't think so. 14" will have two USB-C and 16" will have three. No headphone jack. The wow feature of the "let us loop you in" event will be the 100% wireless air pods. Wires for 20kHz audio on a flimsy 3.5mm jack are a historical anachronism that's somehow lasted 16 years into the 21st century.

 

[flight505]

Is there any betting sites that will take bets on the upcoming update event? if so i would love to place a bet that most macrumor members will be greatly disappointed in 20 hours the lack of rumors and leaks to hint the speculated upcoming laptop updates by members and other sites should indicate that it´s very unlikely... if there are any updates at all i am sure it will only be very minor updates... just wondering - who here actually believes (not wish) that there will be updates to the design on the mbp or extra ports on the rmb for that matter..

however it´s a sure bet that moste readers will be outraged and disappointed

anyway happy media everyone - hope we will se some ground breaking watch bands

sent from my Iphone

 

[OSX7]

if there are any updates at all i am sure it will only be very minor updates... just wondering - who here actually believes (not wish) that there will be updates to the design on the mbp or extra ports on the rmb for that matter..

however it´s a sure bet that moste readers will be outraged and disappointed

anyway happy media everyone - hope we will se some ground breaking watch bands

sent from my Iphone

The most ridiculous idea is Apple adding a second port to the rMB 12, it's not going to happen. The rMB is more of a statement than a product. Sort of like: "This is our vision of the future of the notebook." I think the one port decision conveyed that pretty clearly.

Edit: to clear things up, don't expect to see more than 2 USB-C TB3 ports on the next rMBP redesign. Those controllers only support a max of two port, and split the bandwidth when used simultaneously. Unless Apple decides to use 2 separate TB3 controllers the possibility of a 15" rMBP with 3 USB-C ports like das fuhrer suggested above, is next to none.