Waiting for the 2020 MBP

[Zdigital2015]

If we think next is the year of a design refresh, could you reckon that the line up will be 12/14/16 ?

Move away from the traditional 13/15 sizes

Yes, except 14”/16” MacBook Pro, with 13” MacBook Air and possibly a 15” MacBook Air if Apple has sufficient reason to believe there is demand for such a model - which by all accounts, there is. The 12” MacBook is unlikely to reappear in a recognizable form or with an Intel CPU and would most likely be the first toe dipped in the A-Series ARM pond.

 

[Zdigital2015]

I'm thinking the 16-inch will have a mobile Xeon processor. It will eclipse the current top tier 15-inch model.

The Xeon E-2286M is a Core i9-9980HK with ECC DRAM support, so eclipse is a dubious term at best. Should Apple also offer the Xeon E-2276M as the base model CPU for the 16” MBP, you’ll get an extra 200MHz on the base clock over the current i7-9850H that Apple uses in the current 2019 MacBook Pro.

That’s a big IF.

 

[DHagan4755]

The Xeon E-2286M is a Core i9-9980HK with ECC DRAM support, so eclipse is a dubious term at best. Should Apple also offer the Xeon E-2276M as the base model CPU for the 16” MBP, you’ll get an extra 200MHz on the base clock over the current i7-9850H that Apple uses in the current 2019 MacBook Pro.

That’s a big IF.

Right. That's exactly why I used it. The existing 15-inch configuration would stay as is with the same configuration and pricing.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Right. That's exactly why I used it. The existing 15-inch configuration would stay as is with the same configuration and pricing.

View attachment 871127​

Agreed...I assume that the current 13” and 15” models will be around for at least the next 12-18 months if Apple’s goal is to transition to 14”/16” Pro and 13/15” Air models, but who really knows but Apple?

 

[DHagan4755]

Agreed...I assume that the current 13” and 15” models will be around for at least the next 12-18 months if Apple’s goal is to transition to 14”/16” Pro and 13/15” Air models, but who really knows but Apple?

I think most 13-inch users want Apple to keep the footprint of the 13-inch while increasing the overall screen size as much as possible. Whether that turns into a 14-inch display or not remains to be seen. Whereas the on 15-inch, I think most users won't care about increasing the footprint a little bit in order to get a bigger display. And like you said who really knows but Apple.

 

[The Mercurian]

I think most 13-inch users want Apple to keep the footprint of the 13-inch while increasing the overall screen size as much as possible. Whether that turns into a 14-inch display or not remains to be seen. Whereas the on 15-inch, I think most users won't care about increasing the footprint a little bit in order to get a bigger display. And like you said who really knows but Apple.

Increasing the footprint of the15" is for me not desirable. Depending on the internals, price etc, in that case I might just go for the current model

 

[Falhófnir]

What I don't get is this, its not even a full redesign, like iPhone 7/8 to iPhone X, so the price should not change that much. It's literary, 1" inch extra, maybe a better screen XDR(read Brighter), better keyboard and maybe better thermals. Most the price should increase is $200 above the current price, so $2,599.

I'm thinking at this point it will likely supplant the 15" range in it's entirety, as it's not a major redesign (keeps the same design language, just stretched out a little plus a better keyboard) think they're just keen to start drawing a line under the keyboard thing and react to Intel's misdirection that led to the TouchBar models being designed in the way they are thermally. I don't expect XDR as I think that will come with miniLED which is rumoured for 2021, probably not ProMotion either, this is just about fixing what's broken with the current design decisively. If the 15" lives on, I think it will be reduced to the base model and a very stripped down upgrade tree, but I'm not even sure of that as I think the whole point of this model is to quickly replace the 15" with a version that's free of any lingering issues and bad publicity.

It's either what @Falhófnir suggests, or the 16" will be a separate product that sits "above" the current MacBook Pro line, in which case I we will probably get a redesign to the 13" and 15" MacBook Pro at a different date next year and "only" the 16" this year (as per Kuo's rumors from a while ago that the rest of the lineup will be updated next year), in a similar fashion to how the iMac Pro sits above the regulars iMacs, the the 11 Pro above the iPhone 11, the coming AirPods Pro above the regular AirPods, and... well, you get the point.

It's though to say which one of the two possibilities it is, but I'm leaning towards the second one at the moment. If you compare the leaked Catalina image side-by-side with the respective image for the 15" MBP, then you'll see that the overall chassis of the 16" is actually a bit bigger in length and width than the 15"; in other words the form factor changes and the device will be bigger (and therefore heavier) overall. The bezels are also smaller, but it's not just the bezels that enable the screen to be bigger, it's the size of the device aswell. And I find it difficult to believe that Apple would give up the current 15" form factor that has been successful and beloved for so long in favor of a noticeably larger form factor and heavier device, which would essentially happen if Apple made the 16" the successor to the current 15". If the two devices were the exact same size on the Catalina images, then I'd agree with what @Falhófnir's suggestion, but I'm currently leaning towards this being the "iMac Pro of MacBook Pros", rather than the next 15" MacBook Pro.

No matter which of the two it is, I don't think there will be an updated 15" alongside the 16" this year, but for the moment I do expect a refresh/redesign to the 13" and 15" sometime next year. But we'll hopefully know more once the 16" is finally out.

I was expecting much the same as you say, but I just get the idea this seems a bit of a quick stopgap model before a bigger more feature rich redesign - kind of like the iMac Pro, it's offering something in the meantime while they work on the Mac Pro. I'm now thinking we'll see a 'proper' redesign with new design language, XDR mini LED display, ProMotion, and other new tentpole features sometime in 2021. The form factor is a good point, I wonder if they could target this market with a new 14.4" model, increased to the same depth as the current 15" (the 13" is currently slightly thinner than the 15") to accommodate more powerful internals? It could keep the 28W Quad/ Hexacore chips but add a dGPU to take advantage of the extra thermal headroom.

 

[DHagan4755]

Increasing the footprint of the15" is for me not desirable. Depending on the internals, price etc, in that case I might just go for the current model

Well get it now then. IHS Markit analyst Jeff Lin, who has a somewhat reliable track record, is saying that the 15.4-inch model might be EOL when the 16-inch hits the streets.

 

[The Mercurian]

Well get it now then. IHS Markit analyst Jeff Lin, who has a somewhat reliable track record, is saying that the 15.4-inch model might be EOL when the 16-inch hits the streets.

I'm waiting to see what the next one actually is .... there are always refurbs

 

[JamonBull]

Apple have just approved a refund for my 2018 15” MacBook Pro. It’s getting picked up on the 1st or November. After a year of using it I’ve had keyboard, fan and trackpad issues. Similar story with my 2017 one. Feels like we’re getting to the end of this nightmare run of butterfly MacBooks. I can’t count how many times I’ve been to the local Apple Store. It’s kinda embarrassing how well they know me. I really, really hope they announce something soon so I don’t have to buy another butterfly keyboard MacBook.

 

[d0nK]

Remove butterfly keyboard. Remove Touchbar. Lower price.

 

[mrjohnnyglass]

Remove butterfly keyboard. Remove Touchbar. Lower price.

The Touch Bar isn't going away, and the price isn't going down. Wake up from your pipe dream

 

[MrGunnyPT]

Remove butterfly keyboard. Remove Touchbar. Lower price.

Base Pro brings Touch Bar... Budget Mac is the Air.

 

[SRTM]

No event announcement today?

 

[Howard2k]

No event announcement today?

It's currently 7:51am in California.

 

[PastaPrimav]

Well get it now then. IHS Markit analyst Jeff Lin, who has a somewhat reliable track record, is saying that the 15.4-inch model might be EOL when the 16-inch hits the streets.

It definitely will. This is not comparable to other examples of Apple introducing new tiers in order to raise prices.

Same footprint with slightly larger display, new keyboard, and an escape key is not a new product tier. It is an appropriate replacement for the current 15.4" MacBook Pro, which customers are currently not satisfied with.This is an important point that I think gets lost on some people. Customer satisfaction is a big metric at Apple, and right now customer sat on iPhone and iPad and Apple Watch are through the roof....and on MacBook Pro, it is very, very low.

Apple doesn't have the good faith with its customers right now to gouge with an inappropriate update to the MacBook Pro line. The ball is in their court to win back good faith by introducing a better MacBook Pro.

 

[MrGunnyPT]

It definitely will. This is not comparable to other examples of Apple introducing new tiers in order to raise prices.

Same footprint with slightly larger display, new keyboard, and an escape key is not a new product tier. It is an appropriate replacement for the current 15.4" MacBook Pro, which customers are currently not satisfied with.This is an important point that I think gets lost on some people. Customer satisfaction is a big metric at Apple, and right now customer sat on iPhone and iPad and Apple Watch are through the roof....and on MacBook Pro, it is very, very low.

Apple doesn't have the good faith with its customers right now to gouge with an inappropriate update to the MacBook Pro line. The ball is in their court to win back good faith by introducing a better MacBook Pro.

Yeah, plus if the price stays the same for base model it's actually a more compelling upgrade.. I am worried regarding GPU options thou

 

[PastaPrimav]

Yeah, plus if the price stays the same for base model it's actually a more compelling upgrade.. I am worried regarding GPU options thou

How so?

That doesn't matter to me very much on a laptop. I'm not playing games on a Pro laptop, and none of the work I do utilizes the GPU very much...not so much that minor differences from one card to another would matter.

For me the laptop is about enabling me to get away from desk (iMac) and do work in another room, or outside, etc. I've tried to get away with using a 13" MacBook Pro and the size difference is just too extreme. I need the biggest laptop I can get, so the promise of a 16" MacBook Pro has my full attention. Beyond size, I want a better keyboard (check) and would be nice to have an escape key back (check).

Beyond that I don't really care. I'll choose enough RAM and storage to suit my needs, and whatever CPU and GPU it comes with will be good enough.

 

[MBX]

16-inch MacBooks could arrive before Halloween: https://www.cultofmac.com/660122/16-inch-macbook-pro-2/

 

[Howard2k]

16-inch MacBooks could arrive before Halloween: https://www.cultofmac.com/660122/16-inch-macbook-pro-2/

It's just re-publication of the same news.

It's like me saying that this is more corroborating evidence that the 16" Pro is coming:

Waiting for the 2020 MBP

Yes, except 14”/16” MacBook Pro, with 13” MacBook Air and possibly a 15” MacBook Air if Apple has sufficient reason to believe there is demand for such a model - which by all accounts, there is. The 12” MacBook is unlikely to reappear in a recognizable form or with an Intel CPU and would most...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Well, I know DigiTimes isn't the best source, but there have now been enough rumors that I don't think it's unreasonable to expect this computer to be out before the end of the month.

 

[wallysb01]

Well, I know DigiTimes isn't the best source, but there have now been enough rumors that I don't think it's unreasonable to expect this computer to be out before the end of the month.

yes, looking that way. And I hope so, my 2014 is done about all the limping it can handle.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

So a silent press release tomorrow or next Tuesday is my guess. Not sure my wallet is ready, but excited to see what is coming.

 

[Tomb01]

So, been lurking on this forum for a while... Have a late 2013, which is doing OK (upgraded the disk to a 2TB one), but starting to see things that need more power. Hoping the 16" has the scissor keyboard, and the upgraded SSD size will let me stop carrying around a couple of extra drives.

But was wondering if I am missing something. If it is really a 16" doesn't that make it only a .6 inch bump over the existing 15.4" display? Wouldn't that fit easily into the current form factor if you can just squeeze the bezels a bit? Am I confused?

 

[Zdigital2015]

So, been lurking on this forum for a while... Have a late 2013, which is doing OK (upgraded the disk to a 2TB one), but starting to see things that need more power. Hoping the 16" has the scissor keyboard, and the upgraded SSD size will let me stop carrying around a couple of extra drives.

But was wondering if I am missing something. If it is really a 16" doesn't that make it only a .6 inch bump over the existing 15.4" display? Wouldn't that fit easily into the current form factor if you can just squeeze the bezels a bit? Am I confused?

It should actually be 16.4” based on calculating the proposed 3072x1920 resolution and Apple’s 220DPI target for Retina resolution.

Go here - https://www.sven.de/dpi/ - and enter in those two values at 16.4” and you’ll see the magic 220DPI.