The next MacBook Pro redesign (merged)

[knassar]

Interesting how often the usual suspects (Gruber, ATP tipster) are now hinting at a no event update. Might not have to wait until WWDC.

Care to share when ATP Tipster hinted at a late-april no-event update?

 

[Seed101]

The dream of seeing a 13" MBP with a dedicated GPU and quad core i7 like specs are over.

Apple appears to have positioned the MBP as a prosumer laptop. If you need more power, buy an iMac or Mac Pro.

In one sense I get their dilemma. Too good specs would kill iMac sales. That said, a new design is sorely due.

I've got an 27 iMac...just don't fancy strapping it to my back like TMNT round town...

 

[cmChimera]

Interesting how often the usual suspects (Gruber, ATP tipster) are now hinting at a no event update.

Where are they hinting that?

 

[knassar]

Where are they hinting that?

I heard Gruber make an off-hand comment to that effect in the latest episode of his podcast (the one with Jason Snell), but I don't remember hearing the tipster/someone affiliated with him mention a late-april update.

 

[satchmo]

I heard Gruber make an off-hand comment to that effect in the latest episode of his podcast (the one with Jason Snell), but I don't remember hearing the tipster/someone affiliated with him mention a late-april update.

Sadly, a non-event update would likely mean no re-design. Then again, any fricken update is better than none.

 

[jozero]

Sadly, a non-event update would likely mean no re-design. Then again, any fricken update is better than none.

Its not a good chance but thats the one day I put a small bet on if its not WWDC.

- "We believe iPad is the future of computing" drum beat. So why have events for MacBooks ?
- *if* the WWDC keynote is packed already with new OS and new app announcements.
- MacBooks are getting insanely long in the tooth.
- The macbook audience is built in. Everyone who is waiting for a macbook refresh will learn of the update thru tech media.

I agree it is unlikely, but I believe it is possible.

Care to share when ATP Tipster hinted at a late-april no-event update?

I thought when the tipster mentioned the "machines were sitting ready" (that could mean they are waiting for Intel chips in quantity though) and might be announced in the March 21st, and if they weren't they might just be released with no event. I might of misheard.

 

[knassar]

Its not a good chance but thats the one day I put a small bet on if its not WWDC.

- "We believe iPad is the future of computing" drum beat. So why have events for MacBooks ?
- *if* the WWDC keynote is packed already with new OS and new app announcements.
- MacBooks are getting insanely long in the tooth.
- The macbook audience is built in. Everyone who is waiting for a macbook refresh will learn of the update thru tech media.

I agree it is unlikely, but I believe it is possible.




I thought when the tipster mentioned the "machines were sitting ready" (that could mean they are waiting for Intel chips in quantity though) and might be announced in the March 21st, and if they weren't they might just be released with no event. I might of misheard.

Could be. The machines being ready doesn't give us much info on whether it's an update or a redesign, and i think the March 21 event would have showcased either (it was in dire need of material).

 

[jozero]

Sometimes I think why do I care ? Why am I checking this stuff so obsessively.

Then I try to do something on my sad i3 2010 iMac with the worlds slowest and loudest hard drive, and it takes 3 minutes for a new safari tab to open randomly and sometimes, I think ah, thats why.

The period I should of updated years ago I had a work machine. However for like the last 1.5 years I've been waiting to justify paying the Apple price for getting premium build materials (always), premium OS (mostly yup) and premium internals (errrr .....). Thats the exchange I expect when I buy something of quality. This exchange has become even more important now that Apple products are essentially locked shut tight.

 

[doitdada]

So chances are slim but keep on eye out for April 26. Why ? Because its the day after Apple's earning announcements, and there have been various times Apple did Mac updates the day after earnings.

WWDC is developers forum and MacBook Pros are for people making a living coding, photographing or designing. The one thing that may get a silent update around april 26 will be the MacBook 12", which will consist of a CPU bump and maybe some small adjustments like an extra port or 4K 60hz support. I think the whole iPad Pro replacing MacBooks ordeal is first and foremost for students and professionals who use their machines to create, read, update and delete. Apple is just testing the waters and hoping for people to give the iPad Pro a try. In my opinion it's just a better alternative to a Wacom drawing tablet. The software is so limited at the moment, and cellular data is too expensive. In 2020, with 5G being rolled out along with mature apps and cloud gaining momentum over local storage, I think the iPad Pro have a chance of convincing me to switch. In 2016? No way.

 

[toddzrx]

Sometimes I think why do I care ? Why am I checking this stuff so obsessively.

Then I try to do something on my sad i3 2010 iMac with the worlds slowest and loudest hard drive, and it takes 3 minutes for a new safari tab to open randomly and sometimes, I think ah, thats why.

The period I should of updated years ago I had a work machine. However for like the last 1.5 years I've been waiting to justify paying the Apple price for getting premium build materials (always), premium OS (mostly yup) and premium internals (errrr .....). Thats the exchange I expect when I buy something of quality. This exchange has become even more important now that Apple products are essentially locked shut tight.

Dude, throw an SSD in that thing and be done with it. Way cheaper than buying a new Mac.

 

[147798]

Dude, throw an SSD in that thing and be done with it. Way cheaper than buying a new Mac.

I have a 2009 MBP with an SSD for an OS (and another HDD for data, but I've been contemplating a large SSD to replace that one).

It's still slower than I like, but at this point it's clearly CPU bound, not disk bound (2009 is C2D). Get rid of the OS on the HDD approach. You'll see a huge improvement, and waiting another 6+ months will get easier.

 

[wheelhot]

Its not a good chance but thats the one day I put a small bet on if its not WWDC.

- "We believe iPad is the future of computing" drum beat. So why have events for MacBooks ?
- *if* the WWDC keynote is packed already with new OS and new app announcements.
- MacBooks are getting insanely long in the tooth.
- The macbook audience is built in. Everyone who is waiting for a macbook refresh will learn of the update thru tech media.

I agree it is unlikely, but I believe it is possible.




I thought when the tipster mentioned the "machines were sitting ready" (that could mean they are waiting for Intel chips in quantity though) and might be announced in the March 21st, and if they weren't they might just be released with no event. I might of misheard.

As someone mentioned, WWDC is a developers conference and as far as the iPad lineup goes, you still can't code iOS app on the iPad so you'll still need a Mac.

And Apple always have at least 3 announcements, the most recent event is boring in a way cause they don't really have any news to mention that most people want to hear, it's just about Watch Bands, Environmental Report and iPhone SE.

So for WWDC, I guess it'll be iOS & OSX updates, Mac Pro update and lastly, new MacBook Pros.

What I'm more curious about is will Apple able to grab early exclusivity from Intel again, meaning Kaby Lake before everyone else gets it. I did hear a slightly spill from a friend working at Intel that Apple is eyeing onto Kaby Lake

 

[bxsonic]

Macs are essential for developers. WWDC would be a perfect place to focus on the Mac.

My prediction for WWDC would be new macOS branding & redesigned Macbook Pros

 

[Blue Sun]

Sadly, a non-event update would likely mean no re-design. Then again, any fricken update is better than none.

At the very least they will update to Skylake chips, and update the old TB2 ports to USB-C ports. TBH, that is all that is necessary. The rMBP design is still the best notebook design in the world, IMO.

 

[d0minick]

Sometimes I think why do I care ? Why am I checking this stuff so obsessively.

Then I try to do something on my sad i3 2010 iMac with the worlds slowest and loudest hard drive, and it takes 3 minutes for a new safari tab to open randomly and sometimes, I think ah, thats why.

.

LOL it too loud. got rid of mine. brhghbdhgfb every time you open anything.

 

[theluggage]

Its not a good chance but thats the one day I put a small bet on if its not WWDC.

At the very least they will update to Skylake chips, and update the old TB2 ports to USB-C ports.

I think a no-event update would just be a bump to Skylake chips, but keeping the TB2 ports.

Frankly, I can think of far worse scenarios. As plenty have said, the current rMBPs aren't exactly clunkers and the transition to USB-C/TB3, when it comes, is going to be a major pain without the required ecosystem of adapters and cables. For example, if you want to attach TB2 devices to a USB-C/TB3 port you'll need this $100 adapter (not yet shipping).

Then there's the whole can of worms of TB3 (and current Intel GPUs) not supporting DisplayPort 1.3 (needed for a single-cable 5k display, TB3 kludges it by aggregating two logical DP 1.2 cables into one - but that needs a Thunderbolt display). It might make sense for Apple to leave the major re-design until the next generation of Intel CPUs & TB3.1.

Switching to USB-C/TB3 or sticking with TB2 is a bit of a no-win situation (the Startech adapter linked to above is a bit of a brick, suggesting that TB3-2 is nontrivial) - which ever way Apple go then some people are going to be saddled with expensive adapters.

Shifting to USB-C also (probably) means shifting to Thunderbolt 3 - that in itself would probably warrant a WWDC announcement as its going to affect (hardware) developers and it would make sense to tie full-blooded support to the next version of OS X.

Personally, I'm increasingly thinking that the thing to do to satisfy some of the people some of the time would be to "merge" the 13" rMBP and 13" MBA into a single thin-n-light dual core '13" rMB' model (with i5 and i7 options) and keep the 15" rMBP in its current form-factor for a while (maybe with one TB2 and one TB3 port - if that's even possible).


You have to throw into that the inconvenient truth: PC sales are tanking. Maybe "because mobile", maybe "because Windows 8/10" but mostly because the PC is a maturing technology and the industry has massive overcapacity from the days when a 2 year old PC was hopelessly outdated. Now - well, we have someone in this thread who's 6/7-year-old computer may be coming to the end of its useful life (although a $150 SSD will probably give it a new lease of life).

Nobody with a ~2 year-old Mac needs to upgrade to the latest processors to get the small incremental performance increase that represents. The Unique Selling Point of the latest processors is the ability to cram the same power into a smaller space, so any computer maker who wants to stay in business has to take advantage of that fact - the alternative is to downsize your business so it can survive off the "loyal" customers who buy 1.5 computers every decade.

Apple could bring back the 17" MacBook Pro, and I'd probably buy one, well, sometime in the two or three years... no hurry because the last one I bought has lasted me for 5 years and still meets my needs. I'd like USB 3, I'd like to run 2 external monitors, but if I were desperate I could do that with a couple of Thunderbolt 2 hubs for a fraction of the cost of a new Mac. That's not gonna make a fortune for Apple.

 

[cmChimera]

Just want to point out that Apple can support Displayport 1.3 with a dGPU like Polaris or Pascal, even if Intel doesn't support it with Skylake.

 

[whitedragon101]

Just want to point out that Apple can support Displayport 1.3 with a dGPU like Polaris or Pascal, even if Intel doesn't support it with Skylake.

Thats what I was thinking. Polaris, DP 1.3 and a 5K external screen.

 

[Matt Leaf]

I'm now terrified the next Macbook Pro will be everything that nobody wants.

 

[duervo]

I'm now terrified the next Macbook Pro will be everything that nobody wants.

For some, it will be everything that everybody didn't know they wanted before it's released. That's usually how things go down, for the most part.

 

[doitdada]

Just got rid of my MacBook Gold.

 

[Exile714]

Hmm, so if Apple is releasing the new MBPs at WWDC, wouldn't it mean Skylake will be mid-life-end of life cycle by then? And this will be a very late update for Apple? Could it be that Apple is going after Kaby Lake instead (this will not be the first time for Apple to get exclusivity over other vendors)?

And since all the Watches and Pads hooplas announcement is done, looks like this year WWDC will be focused onto Macs again? Like how it was a few years ago.

Though it's also possible for Apple to release it earlier then WWDC but I wonder what they'll announce then during the event if they have nothing to show.

True, they should probably just wait until the next generation of processors.

(cry)

This has been discussed a lot in the "Waiting for Skylake MBP" thread, but you'd be forgiven for not wanting to wade through 250 pages of angst.

Basically, Skylake isn't a single processor, it's a series. They all weren't released at the same time. The best ones, the 6X70's, are only now being released. Those are the ones best suited for the MBP.

The only computer on sale now with a 6X70 is Intel's Skull Canyon NUC, and even that wasn't shipping yet the last time I checked.

The 6X70's are the only processors with Intel's Iris Pro P580 integrated graphics chip, which is actually incredibly powerful, even compared to dGPUs.

Intel will release Kaby Lake processors probably starting in the fall, but those processors will be the inferior models, I.E.: not suited for the MBP. The best 6X70s will outperform those chips, and any Kaby Lake chips until the high performance Kaby Lake processors are released, but that won't be happening any time in the next 18 months.

 

[wheelhot]

This has been discussed a lot in the "Waiting for Skylake MBP" thread, but you'd be forgiven for not wanting to wade through 250 pages of angst.

Thanks! didn't know it was discussed in waiting for Skylake. Though one question, the Iris Pro P580 will only be suitable for the 15" or 13" as well?

 

[Dean Yu]

Thanks! didn't know it was discussed in waiting for Skylake. Though one question, the Iris Pro P580 will only be suitable for the 15" or 13" as well?

Only the 15". If the 13" opt for 28w i5/i7-6x67u, then it will have a iris 550, which is a higher clocked iris 540 on the 15w i5/i7-6x60u and, having 64MB eDRAM, could be significantly better than the iris 6100(not pro 5200 level though).

 

[richinaus]

WWDC is developers forum and MacBook Pros are for people making a living coding, photographing or designing. The one thing that may get a silent update around april 26 will be the MacBook 12", which will consist of a CPU bump and maybe some small adjustments like an extra port or 4K 60hz support. I think the whole iPad Pro replacing MacBooks ordeal is first and foremost for students and professionals who use their machines to create, read, update and delete. Apple is just testing the waters and hoping for people to give the iPad Pro a try. In my opinion it's just a better alternative to a Wacom drawing tablet. The software is so limited at the moment, and cellular data is too expensive. In 2020, with 5G being rolled out along with mature apps and cloud gaining momentum over local storage, I think the iPad Pro have a chance of convincing me to switch. In 2016? No way.

treat the 13" ipadpro like a desktop companion and your opinion may change..... I love using mine in conjunction with a desktop [or RMBP with display]. Perfect combo. I design for a living. I agree though, no way is it a computer replacement for me yet and won't be for a while.