Waiting for 2021 MBP

[terminator-jq]

Not a 'period full stop, deal breaker' for others including me, tho. I am perfectly fine with the screens of the current lineup. 500+ nits, P3 and solid contrasts. I personally won't miss anything if they bring Mini-LED in 2022 rather than 2021. It would be nice, but we will see.

I am more happy if the new Macbooks get some useful ports back including a magnetic MagSafe, removal of the touch bar (or make it BTO) and a M1X which has enough CPU+GPU power, so I can replace my 2015 MBP and 2017" 5K iMac. Could then go for a new MBP + external display.

Same feelings here. At first I was a little disappointed that mini LED may not be coming this year but after seeing the reviews for the new iPad Pro, I’m honestly okay with missing out. In most use cases (web browsing, most apps, games), the mini LED model actually has the same max brightness or just marginally higher than the 2018/2020 models. The contrast is obviously better but the darker blacks can only really be seen when using the iPad in darker environments. The only time when the mini LED display actually shines is when watching HDR content which is when the 1600nit brightness gets unlocked for peak highlights. Even then full screen brightness is limited to around 800nits (compared to 600 for the 2018/2020 models). So definitely an improvement but also definitely not a serious game changer for day to day use (unless you plan to watch a lot of HDR content but I think I’d rather use my TV…).

I’d certainly be happy if we do get mini LED but at this point I’d be more than happy if apple can just:

1. Increase the max brightness

2. Better anti reflective layer

3. Give us something that can display HDR for those that need to work with HDR content

 

[UltimateSyn]

Jon Prosser is now hinting at WWDC hardware. I think these are getting announced in two weeks.

 

[lakerchick4life]

Jon Prosser is now hinting at WWDC hardware. I think these are getting announced in two weeks.

That's what Im thinking too..and if it does Im trading in my 2018 13 inch macbook pro 256gb to get the 14 inch..Im waiting for WWDC to even buy the iPad Pro I want to see what else they announce as far as what additional apps will work for it before I decide on what size to get

 

[Christopher Kim]

Not a 'period full stop, deal breaker' for others including me, tho. I am perfectly fine with the screens of the current lineup. 500+ nits, P3 and solid contrasts. I personally won't miss anything if they bring Mini-LED in 2022 rather than 2021. It would be nice, but we will see.

I am more happy if the new Macbooks get some useful ports back including a magnetic MagSafe, removal of the touch bar (or make it BTO) and a M1X which has enough CPU+GPU power, so I can replace my 2015 MBP and 2017" 5K iMac. Could then go for a new MBP + external display.

Same feelings here. At first I was a little disappointed that mini LED may not be coming this year but after seeing the reviews for the new iPad Pro, I’m honestly okay with missing out.

Same camp here. Would be great to get the mini-LED on at least the 16", but I think I'm likely still a Day 1 pre-order for the 16" even if it doesn't have it.

Agree with @terminator-jq that if it doesn't have the mini-LED, hopefully they still have some sort of screen improvement in terms of max brightness and some kind of HDR-capabilities.

Fingers crossed for WWDC announcements!

 

[Falhófnir]

If the mini LED displays are pushed back to next year it makes it an easier decision for me, I was a bit torn between updating my iPad Pro or MacBook Pro this year, and didn't really want to do both and the iPhone! Though my MacBook is older it is holding up a bit better than the iPad in terms of battery so can probably wait on the 16" another year (assuming we're getting more regular yearly updates with AS🤞).

 

[UltimateSyn]

Same camp here. Would be great to get the mini-LED on at least the 16", but I think I'm likely still a Day 1 pre-order for the 16" even if it doesn't have it.

Agree with @terminator-jq that if it doesn't have the mini-LED, hopefully they still have some sort of screen improvement in terms of max brightness and some kind of HDR-capabilities.

Fingers crossed for WWDC announcements!

I'm just hoping the 16" gets ProMotion... If it doesn't get mini-LED or ProMotion then I'll probably wait until next year since it'll be bound to get a display upgrade then. If it gets at least one of those two features then I'm ten toes in.

 

[James Godfrey]

So all rumours are pointing to a WWDC launch of the 14” and 16” Pros… the only thing that makes me doubt the rumours is the rumours are also saying that the 14” will replace the current 13” which was only released in November 2020, is 8 months long enough for the current model before a refresh???

Seems a bit odd to me for apple to launch this so soon especially since it was refreshed twice last year also…

May 2020, November 2020, June 2021 these dates just seem wayyyyy to close together, that’s 3 refreshes of the 13” Pro in the space of 13 months, I understand why Apple refreshed it in November due to the M1 transition, but that was literally the only reason they refreshed it so quickly.

 

[smoking monkey]

So all rumours are pointing to a WWDC launch of the 14” and 16” Pros… the only thing that makes me doubt the rumours is the rumours are also saying that the 14” will replace the current 13” which was only released in November 2020, is 8 months long enough for the current model before a refresh???

Seems a bit odd to me for apple to launch this so soon especially since it was refreshed twice last year also…

May 2020, November 2020, June 2021 these dates just seem wayyyyy to close together, that’s 3 refreshes of the 13” Pro in the space of 13 months, I understand why Apple refreshed it in November due to the M1 transition, but that was literally the only reason they refreshed it so quickly.

From a quick glance that would seem to be the case, but the 14 isn't actually replacing the M1 13 released in Nov 2020. It's replacing the 4 USB C port 13 intel. The 2020 M1 replaced the 2 port intel.

 

[terminator-jq]

So all rumours are pointing to a WWDC launch of the 14” and 16” Pros… the only thing that makes me doubt the rumours is the rumours are also saying that the 14” will replace the current 13” which was only released in November 2020, is 8 months long enough for the current model before a refresh???

Seems a bit odd to me for apple to launch this so soon especially since it was refreshed twice last year also…

May 2020, November 2020, June 2021 these dates just seem wayyyyy to close together, that’s 3 refreshes of the 13” Pro in the space of 13 months, I understand why Apple refreshed it in November due to the M1 transition, but that was literally the only reason they refreshed it so quickly.

I think the general thought direction is that the M2 14” will replace the current M1 13” Pro but not until the fall which make a little more sense. So their laptop lineup may look something like:

- 13” MacBook (I’m pretty sure the “Air” name will be dropped) W/ M2 chipand 9 core GPU $999

- 14” MacBook Pro W/ M2 and 10 core GPU $1299

- 14” MacBook Pro W/ M1X and 16 core GPU $1799

- 16” MacBook Pro W/ M1X and 32 core GPU $2399

This will also help the Pro to stand out from the Air a little better since even though the 14” Pro would use the same M2 chip, it would offer more ports and a larger screen.

 

[James Godfrey]

I think the general thought direction is that the M2 14” will replace the current M1 13” Pro but not until the fall which make a little more sense. So their laptop lineup may look something like:

- 13” MacBook (I’m pretty sure the “Air” name will be dropped) W/ M2 chipand 9 core GPU $999

- 14” MacBook Pro W/ M2 and 10 core GPU $1299

- 14” MacBook Pro W/ M1X and 16 core GPU $1799

- 16” MacBook Pro W/ M1X and 32 core GPU $2399

This will also help the Pro to stand out from the Air a little better since even though the 14” Pro would use the same M2 chip, it would offer more ports and a larger screen.

So basically the thinking is that the 14” $1799 and the 16” $2399 Pros will launch at WWDC with M1X and sold alongside the current 13” Pro M1, with the 13” Air and 13” Pro getting a design refresh later in the year with the M2, is that correct?

 

[m.x]

So basically the thinking is that the 14” $1799 and the 16” $2399 Pros will launch at WWDC with M1X and sold alongside the current 13” Pro M1, with the 13” Air and 13” Pro getting a design refresh later in the year with the M2, is that correct?

I don’t know about the 13“Pro M1, since all rumors are about the Air and the 14“/16“ Pro. @smoking monkey correctly said that the 13“Pro M1 which debuted in 2020 isn’t part of the higher end family. As far as I know there are no rumors for a redesigned 13“Pro M1.

 

[terminator-jq]

So basically the thinking is that the 14” $1799 and the 16” $2399 Pros will launch at WWDC with M1X and sold alongside the current 13” Pro M1, with the 13” Air and 13” Pro getting a design refresh later in the year with the M2, is that correct?

Correct except that the $1299 - 13” Pro will not get its own redesign, it will just be replaced by a low spec version of the new 14” with an M2 instead of an M1X (maybe less ports than the $1799 14” as well).

 

[smoking monkey]

Correct except that the $1299 - 13” Pro will not get its own redesign, it will just be replaced by a low spec version of the new 14” with an M2 instead of an M1X (maybe less ports than the $1799 14” as well).

As far as I know there are no rumors for a redesigned 13“Pro M1.

Yeah. I'm guessing the same. With the Air being so powerful and already rumors about the next model, you have to think the low end 13 pro is getting EOLed. It makes no sense to bring another one out when the Air is so powerful.

 

[James Godfrey]

Yeah. I'm guessing the same. With the Air being so powerful and already rumors about the next model, you have to think the low end 13 pro is getting EOLed. It makes no sense to bring another one out when the Air is so powerful.

Personally I think it will get discontinued too, reason being is the Touch Bar.

Apple have always pushed the Touch Bar as a PRO feature, never available on the Air, it’s just going to be extremely strange to have the lower end Pro with the Touch Bar and the higher end models not having it.

I suspect that when the two high end pros release we will see one of three things happen:

1. Either the current 13” gets the same redesign as the higher end models but still maintains its display size and looses the Touch Bar but continues with the M1, this makes sense as it will technically have the same shell as the higher end 14” model so no additional R&D for apple, possibly getting a small price bump to $1399.

2. They will continue to offer the lower end model in its current form at its current price, in which case seems a bit pointless with how close the air is to it at the moment, plus it will require three outer shells to be produced for the Pro line instead of just two, and will be very strange that the lower end Pro having the Touch Bar with the higher end models loosing it.

3. The 13” will just get discontinued and replaced with the 14” and 16” higher end models, if this happens I wouldn’t be shocked if the higher end PRO’s got a price drop… maybe $1499/$1999 respectively, this makes sense due to the cost saving of Apple using their own silicon and the lower production costs of removing the Touch Bar, this will not only be a huge selling point of Apple using their own silicon BUT it also adds to the rumours of Apple giving consumers what they have been asking for with this refresh (MagSafe, More Older Ports, Removal Of Touch Bar).

Also in previous iterations of the Air vs Pro debate the Air really hasn’t been enough for a lot of users, whereas now M1 is here, the Air will suit over 90% of the user base, so for the PRO’s to do well they need to have a more reasonable entry level price than $1799, that’s a staggering $800 on top of the Air’s entry price IMO.

 

[smoking monkey]

Just watched the Rene Ritchie latest YT vid about rumors and he states that the low end 13 M1 is getting updated with the M2! Huh. And that's along side the M2 Air. Will there be a market for a Low end 13 Pro that isn't the 14 or the Air? I just don't see it. But I guess more choice for us consumers is good!

 

[James Godfrey]

Just watched the Rene Ritchie latest YT vid about rumors and he states that the low end 13 M1 is getting updated with the M2! Huh. And that's along side the M2 Air. Will there be a market for a Low end 13 Pro that isn't the 14 or the Air? I just don't see it. But I guess more choice for us consumers is good!

Yeah I am expecting the 13” to get discontinued in all honesty.

You got to look at this like the iPads pre M series… the Air will always get the standard M series chips with the Pros getting the MX series chips.

2020 MacBook Air - M1 (A14X)
2021 MacBook Pro - M1X
2021 MacBook Air - M2 (A15X)
2022 MacBook Pro - M2X

I think from a consumer perspective, having a $1299 MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar and M2 sitting next to a $1799 MacBook Pro M1X and no Touch Bar seems very odd.

This is why I expect the 14” to directly replace the current 13” model but instead of it being priced at $1799 I expect the price to drop to $1499-$1599, then once the redesigned M2 Air releases later this year, I expect that to bump in price to $1099.

That way the MacBook line pricing doesn’t impede on the iPad Pro pricing…

iPad Air - $599 base
iPad Pro 11” - $799 base
iPad Pro 12.9” - $1099 base
MacBook Air - $1099 base
MacBook Pro - $1499-$1599 base

One of the reasons why Apple wanted their own silicon in the Mac line was to continue to offer competitive prices in the market.

On top of this the M1 has brought Apple a major problem during this transition in that it is a far more capable chip than mostly all of their intel counterparts, making their higher end macs a much more difficult sell to the general consumer, to counteract this, a price drop will encourage people to jump on the pro line rather than just settling on the Air which is perfect to 90%+ of users.

Them now using their own silicon makes it possible to lower the price coupled with the fact they are removing the Touch Bar which at one time was a $500 upgrade.

-

I guess all of this depends on whether or not they are going to keep the current 13” available once the 14 and 16 inch launch… if they keep it around the 14” will likely be $1799, if not and I highly doubt they will (as the current 13” mustn’t be selling all that much at this point with the common knowledge of how capable the air currently is for $300 less), I expect the 14” to come in with a price less than $1799 but not as low as $1299.

 

[Falhófnir]

Yeah I am expecting the 13” to get discontinued in all honesty.

You got to look at this like the iPads pre M series… the Air will always get the standard M series chips with the Pros getting the MX series chips.

2020 MacBook Air - M1 (A14X)
2021 MacBook Pro - M1X
2021 MacBook Air - M2 (A15X)
2022 MacBook Pro - M2X

I think from a consumer perspective, having a $1299 MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar and M2 sitting next to a $1799 MacBook Pro M1X and no Touch Bar seems very odd.

This is why I expect the 14” to directly replace the current 13” model but instead of it being priced at $1799 I expect the price to drop to $1499-$1599, then once the redesigned M2 Air releases later this year, I expect that to bump in price to $1099.

That way the MacBook line pricing doesn’t impede on the iPad Pro pricing…

iPad Air - $599 base
iPad Pro 11” - $799 base
iPad Pro 12.9” - $1099 base
MacBook Air - $1099 base
MacBook Pro - $1499-$1599 base

One of the reasons why Apple wanted their own silicon in the Mac line was to continue to offer competitive prices in the market.

On top of this the M1 has brought Apple a major problem during this transition in that it is a far more capable chip than mostly all of their intel counterparts, making their higher end macs a much more difficult sell to the general consumer, to counteract this, a price drop will encourage people to jump on the pro line rather than just settling on the Air which is perfect to 90%+ of users.

Them now using their own silicon makes it possible to lower the price coupled with the fact they are removing the Touch Bar which at one time was a $500 upgrade.

-

I guess all of this depends on whether or not they are going to keep the current 13” available once the 14 and 16 inch launch… if they keep it around the 14” will likely be $1799, if not and I highly doubt they will (as the current 13” mustn’t be selling all that much at this point with the common knowledge of how capable the air currently is for $300 less), I expect the 14” to come in with a price less than $1799 but not as low as $1299.

It seems reasonably likely to me this will end up replacing both the Air and Pro, and probably just be called the MacBook. The question is if there is one more generation of Pro/Air with the M2 to come in November, as that 'MacBook' model isn't meant to launch until 2022, or whether we don't see anything until the new MacBook launches in H1 2022.

 

[James Godfrey]

It seems reasonably likely to me this will end up replacing both the Air and Pro, and probably just be called the MacBook. The question is if there is one more generation of Pro/Air with the M2 to come in November, as that 'MacBook' model isn't meant to launch until 2022, or whether we don't see anything until the new MacBook launches in H1 2022.

Yeah either way, the pro as it is now is going to be shelved, it’s just a case of how soon that will be…

-

Will apple continue with the current base pro at $1299 with the Touch Bar sold alongside the new 14 and 16 Pro’s then eventually discontinue it once that colourful MacBook is released?

The benefit of this is that apple can keep the $1299 base price of the pro’s even if it is extremely similar to the MacBook Air and have the $1799 price of the higher end pro, but on the downside Apple will still have to produce that outer shell and Touch Bar just for that one model.

-

Or will they immediately discontinue the current baseline pro upon release of the 14 and 16 Pro’s and just sell the Air as it is until the colourful Air is released either at the end of 2021 or early 2022.

The benefit of this is Apple can stop producing the Touch Bar and won’t have to continue creating the outer shell for that single baseline pro device, but on the downside it will mean that Apple will likely have to change the pricing structure of the baseline pro and depending on which way you look at it, that is either an increase to the base price, or a reduction in the base higher end price.

 

[Falhófnir]

Yeah either way, the pro as it is now is going to be shelved, it’s just a case of how soon that will be…

-

Will apple continue with the current base pro at $1299 with the Touch Bar sold alongside the new 14 and 16 Pro’s then eventually discontinue it once that colourful MacBook is released?

The benefit of this is that apple can keep the $1299 base price of the pro’s even if it is extremely similar to the MacBook Air and have the $1799 price of the higher end pro, but on the downside Apple will still have to produce that outer shell and Touch Bar just for that one model.

-

Or will they immediately discontinue the current baseline pro upon release of the 14 and 16 Pro’s and just sell the Air as it is until the colourful Air is released either at the end of 2021 or early 2022.

The benefit of this is Apple can stop producing the Touch Bar and won’t have to continue creating the outer shell for that single baseline pro device, but on the downside it will mean that Apple will likely have to change the pricing structure of the baseline pro and depending on which way you look at it, that is either an increase to the base price, or a reduction in the base higher end price.

I am thinking the new colourful model comes in at $1,199 or $1,299 to start, and the M1 MacBook Air is left on sale unchanged for $999 while they slowly trim the price over a couple of years. So if the eventual goal for the lineup is MacBook 13" (starting at $999) and MacBook Pro 14/16" then yeah I do think it would be desirable to bring the prices for the Pros down a little to make them more accessible. Doubly so if there's no black bezel/ keyboard option for the MacBook as white is going to be polarising and it's going to carry a huge chunk of MacBook sales if it replaces both the Air and cheaper Pro.

Certainly for the 16" I think there's a great deal of scope to reduce the price, given there's a lot of discrete components being replaced by a simpler and cheaper SoC. $1,999 should be achievable just by not having to include the dGPU. An option would be to start the Pro lineup with the basic 4/4 core M1 and bring the prices down to, say, $1,499 and $1,599. Then have the more powerful 8/2 core 'M1X' models start at something like $1,899 and $1,999 with all the extra upgrades taking it up there to $6K similar to now?

 

[James Godfrey]

I am thinking the new colourful model comes in at $1,199 or $1,299 to start, and the M1 MacBook Air is left on sale unchanged for $999 while they slowly trim the price over a couple of years. So if the eventual goal for the lineup is MacBook 13" (starting at $999) and MacBook Pro 14/16" then yeah I do think it would be desirable to bring the prices for the Pros down a little to make them more accessible. Doubly so if there's no black bezel/ keyboard option for the MacBook as white is going to be polarising and it's going to carry a huge chunk of MacBook sales if it replaces both the Air and cheaper Pro.

Certainly for the 16" I think there's a great deal of scope to reduce the price, given there's a lot of discrete components being replaced by a simpler and cheaper SoC. $1,999 should be achievable just by not having to include the dGPU. An option would be to start the Pro lineup with the basic 4/4 core M1 and bring the prices down to, say, $1,499 and $1,599. Then have the more powerful 8/2 core 'M1X' models start at something like $1,899 and $1,999 with all the extra upgrades taking it up there to $6K similar to now?

Yeah I am fairly confident the new Pro’s at WWDC arnt going to start at that whopping $1799 price tag, it just seems too extreme to me, by doing that and having the Air being so powerful and perfect for the masses at only $999 (something it has never been before), it will just alienate 90% of their customer base with the huge majority opting for the Air line.

Apple will have to be extremely careful with their pricing on the new Pro’s this year as going too overboard will ultimately result in lack of sales of their high end Pro’s… they will have to bring a lot more than just a better screen, more ports, and a better SoC to warrant a $800 price difference in my opinion, that’s the equivalent of selling the base 11” iPad Pro at $999, it just simply wouldn’t sell well for the improvement the user is getting over the iPad Air.

-

If apple do want to keep the $1799 starting price for the 14” they will 100% have to keep the 13” M1 Pro around, but from most perspectives this just doesn’t seem like it is something apple would do, but who knows…

 

[terminator-jq]

Just watched the Rene Ritchie latest YT vid about rumors and he states that the low end 13 M1 is getting updated with the M2! Huh. And that's along side the M2 Air. Will there be a market for a Low end 13 Pro that isn't the 14 or the Air? I just don't see it. But I guess more choice for us consumers is good!

Rene Ritchie is definitely one of my favorites but at the end of the day, he is just guessing just like all of us here and going off the same rumors and leaks.

It doesn’t make much sense for the $1299 13” Pro to get its own redesign. With the 2016-2020 MacBook Pro generation, the $1299 13” has always been a cheaper alternative to the $1799 13” with less ports, lower performance and in the earlier years, no Touch Bar. It has always shared the same body as the $1799 Pro.

That will most likely continue. When Apple brings out the new 14” and 16” (hopefully) at WWDC, I think the current $1299 13” M1 will remain on sale… However, come fall time when the new M2 MacBook Air goes on sale, the new 14” redesigned chassis will get filtered down to the base model. That way the $1299 14” MacBook Pro will now share the same design as the $1799 14” but with a lower M2 chip instead of the M1X and possibly with fewer ports.

 

[stuffx]

Sorry but when it comes to leaks, Rene Ritchie is not someone that we can rely on. He is just another tech Youtuber, not a leaker. Even Jon Prosser is playing guessing games sometimes.

I only trust Mark Gurman and L0vetodream. These guys don’t guess.

 

[UltimateSyn]

Sorry but when it comes to leaks, Rene Ritchie is not someone that we can rely on. He is just another tech Youtuber, not a leaker. Even Jon Prosser is playing guessing games sometimes.

I only trust Mark Gurman and L0vetodream. These guys don’t guess.

Gurman said early summer and L0vetodream put up a picture of a MagSafe connector a few weeks ago. I wish it was June 7th already so we could find out

 

[MacFather]

Two weeks.

Prosser: New MacBook Pro to be announced at WWDC next month - 9to5Mac

Apple today officially confirmed the WWDC 2021 schedule, saying that the week will kick off with a special event keynote...

9to5mac.com

 

[UltimateSyn]

Two weeks.

Prosser: New MacBook Pro to be announced at WWDC next month - 9to5Mac

Apple today officially confirmed the WWDC 2021 schedule, saying that the week will kick off with a special event keynote...

9to5mac.com

Yup!!!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1396915038154334214