What chipset would be in a 16 inch MBP if they released it this fall?
They've already upgraded the current MBP's to 9th Gen CPU. Intel 10 nm doesn't look like it's on the horizon at this stage.
I'd be surprised if they release anything else this year.
10-core Comet Lake is a possibility, IF Intel managed to pull in the timeline. It was originally (via a leak) supposedly scheduled for 2020, but some have been speculating that Intel has accelerated the timeline as a competitive response to AMD's many-core Zen 2 CPUs.
I just don’t see them releasing an updated pro machine since they released the 2019 models recently. It would piss off everyone that just bought one.
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I doubt Apple will keep around the 15” model if they have a one inch bigger screen for the 16” and don’t see them releasing a more “pro “16 inch in a slim chassis.
Why would they do that, when they just rolled out brand new models in June. Doesn't make sense to release a new version for only 3 months.
Releasing a higher-priced new model in the same year the previous line is refreshed is
exactly what Apple did in 2012 when they led with the 15" retina MBP as a new "Halo" device just a couple of months after refreshing (for the last time) the unibody MBPs. It shouldn't surprise anyone if history repeats itself this year.
The way I see it, there isn't going to be a better mobile chip than the i9-9980HK until Ice Lake H in 2020. If we see the macbook pro 16" come out sometime in 2020, then sure we'll get the 10 core 7nm CPU but what if Apple releases the computer in 2019?
Rumors and leaked roadmaps suggest no 10nm "H-class" CPU is coming in 2020
nor 2021. Intel may roll out a 10nm "H" CPU in 2022 or try and jump directly to 7nm. In the meantime,
another 14nm(+++) CPU is on the roadmap, albeit this time 10-cores.
I see two possibilities for a 2019 release. Both of which are kind of out there but hear me out. With the release of the mac pro and the shift to pro customers, it's likely that the 16" macbook pro is going to be a little more up market than the current macbook pro's. That's why the 16" doesn't necessarily have to be on the same time table as the current 15". Apple can release a 16" new line of macbook pro's without updating the 15" because it's meant as a newer more "pro" line. How does apple achieve more performance in 2019?
1) Apple could release a new much more powerful T3 Co-Processor (mobile afterburner card) that handles much more video editing capabilities capable of doing all of the 4K streams at the same time. Normally this chip will lay dormant unless it's called upon by the software so it'd save power during normal use.
2) Apple could push hard into TB3/4 eGPU land where they could release an external TB3/4 enclosure for their MPX module & afterburner card. Personally, I would be very interested in an apple designed enclosure that is able to take a MPX module, IO card, and an afterburner card. Sure it'd be expensive but apple in house engineering would make sure that the software works properly with the hardware. (current eGPUs sometimes show regressive performance with FCP compared with the vega dGPU)
Heck, I'd be even on board if Apple came out with a proprietary high bandwidth connector for this eGPU dock that gave more than 40GBPS bandwidth. Current eGPU implementations appear to be bandwidth limited in some cases.
Interesting ideas. I'm tempted to bite the bullet and upgrade to a 2019 MBP now as I suspect I might get priced out of the 16" if it launches as a new ultra-high-end device, but I'd be a little upset if a significantly higher performing mobile Navi replaces mobile Vega at the same price this Fall. Choices, choices, and trade-offs... ♂️
