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SSD-GUY

macrumors 65816
Sep 20, 2012
1,155
2,106
Interstellar
So I'm kinda confused by this Intel Roadmap (attached - not sure if it's the latest one out there)

With Comet Lake overlapping Ice Lake, for the 13" refresh in Q1/Q2 this year (I'm hoping), are we likely to see Ice Lake or Comet Lake processors within them?
 

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Investor27

macrumors regular
Mar 8, 2012
200
98
There are so many posts on here about how people don't like the 16". Is it really that big and heavy that it's bad?
 

c0ppo

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2013
1,890
3,268
There are so many posts on here about how people don't like the 16". Is it really that big and heavy that it's bad?

People complained about keyboards, and for a good reason.
People also complained about thermals. But Apple made a bigger laptop and fixed thermals. Now people complain that it's too big.

Anyway, you get my point. I've tried out MBP16, and it's not too big, or too heavy. At least not to me.
 

Ma2k5

macrumors 68030
Dec 21, 2012
2,563
2,538
London
There are so many posts on here about how people don't like the 16". Is it really that big and heavy that it's bad?

It isn't bad, but it is big/heavy as in quite noticeably harder to wield. Even compared to the XPS 15 side by side, I find it more easy to use the XPS 15 for example on my lap/around the couch while the MBP 16" (due to 16:10 aspect) the depth of the keyboard area really means you want a flat stable surface to use.

It is likely to only affect people who like to casually move it around the home and use it on non-standard surfaces now and again.
 

PeterJP

macrumors 65816
Feb 2, 2012
1,136
896
Leuven, Belgium
There are so many posts on here about how people don't like the 16". Is it really that big and heavy that it's bad?
People complain that the 16 is big. Then they complain that it's not as powerful as the Lenovo P53. But then when you point out that the Lenovo is bigger, people will still complain the 16 is big and the P53 more powerful.
Each forum should have aa 'Abandon all hope ye who entereth here' sign at the front page.
I'm waitingfor the 2020 refresh of the 13". If it's missing either a butterfly keyboard or a 32gb RAM option, I'm going for the 16. The reality of RAM hit me when I wanted to spin up a VM that required precisely as much RAM as my current machine physically has, 8gb. And I'd like to run it with a couple of other VMs that I'll want to give at least 4. So 32gb in a small package, otherwise it'll be 64 in the bigger package.
 

ascender

macrumors 603
Dec 8, 2005
5,020
2,896
There are so many posts on here about how people don't like the 16". Is it really that big and heavy that it's bad?

I don't think its big and heavy at all, assuming you're able-bodied, its fine for carrying around in a rucksack, shoulder bag etc.

I do think its unwieldy though, just like the 15". So if you're working on the move, its not great for sitting on trains, planes, at coffee shops etc because its a big footprint and takes up a lot of space.
 

Spudlicious

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2015
936
818
Bedfordshire, England
My 13" MBP will celebrate its 5th birthday this year and even though it's been an absolute gem in all respects and is still like new, a 2020 13" or 14" with the same or smaller footprint would have major appeal for me. It would have to sport the improved keyboard design of the 16" and - this is where I'll probably be disappointed - the price range would have to be broadly in line with the 2019 model. I've no chance, have I?
 
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impulse462

macrumors 68020
Jun 3, 2009
2,097
2,878
There are so many posts on here about how people don't like the 16". Is it really that big and heavy that it's bad?
its almost identically same dimensions to the 2012-2015 retina macbook pros and slightly lighter. everyone on here is chicken little. this computer is way better than the 2016-2019 macbook pros in almost every single way. if a 0.3 pound increase is too heavy for people, their inability to wield a computer is the least of their problems
 

Investor27

macrumors regular
Mar 8, 2012
200
98
People complain that the 16 is big. Then they complain that it's not as powerful as the Lenovo P53. But then when you point out that the Lenovo is bigger, people will still complain the 16 is big and the P53 more powerful.
Each forum should have aa 'Abandon all hope ye who entereth here' sign at the front page.
I'm waitingfor the 2020 refresh of the 13". If it's missing either a butterfly keyboard or a 32gb RAM option, I'm going for the 16. The reality of RAM hit me when I wanted to spin up a VM that required precisely as much RAM as my current machine physically has, 8gb. And I'd like to run it with a couple of other VMs that I'll want to give at least 4. So 32gb in a small package, otherwise it'll be 64 in the bigger package.

I currently have the 2017 13" Pro, with 16 GBs of RAM. I don't run VMs, so 16 GB is enough for me. But if you want to run VM, then I can see why you would want 32 GBs.
I've always thought that my 13" is a bit small. I do move it around the house, up and down the stairs of my 3-story house, though. I went to the Apple store nearby last month, and played with the 16" a bit. I love the bigger screen real estate, but the 16" did look a bit big for my liking. I couldn't play around with it enough to discern whether it was heavy or not, of course it's heavier than my 13". Still. I would have purchased the 16" if there were any improvements on the screen. I thought that the 16" was a good value, however!
 

charliebarley

macrumors newbie
Oct 22, 2019
8
10
I just tried the 13 and 16 side by side in the Apple store and the 16 does feel big. I'm coming from a 13 though so I guess that's expected.

I was planning on getting the 16 but I think the 13 is the sweetspot size for me as a I travel with my laptop a lot (like every day). The new keyboard (including physical escape key) in the 13 with 32GB of RAM would be the ideal laptop for me, I think.

What's the most likely release date for an updated 13, March or June this year? March I could live with - June is gonna be a long wait (still using a 2015 MBP that's on its last legs).
 
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PeterJP

macrumors 65816
Feb 2, 2012
1,136
896
Leuven, Belgium
I've always thought that my 13" is a bit small. I do move it around the house, up and down the stairs of my 3-story house, though. I went to the Apple store nearby last month, and played with the 16" a bit. I love the bigger screen real estate, but the 16" did look a bit big for my liking. I couldn't play around with it enough to discern whether it was heavy or not, of course it's heavier than my 13". Still. I would have purchased the 16" if there were any improvements on the screen. I thought that the 16" was a good value, however!
I have a late 2013 13" and it's holding up quite ok, but it's stopping me from really working with VMs the way I'd like to. I have played around with the pre-2015 15" of friends before and I thought it was big. But back then, my laptop was my only machine aside from my smartphone. I now have the fortunate situation where my laptop is a luggable desktop replacement, so the 600 or so extra grams wouldn't be a problem. I am much more mobile than before, but I got myself an iPad Pro for on the road.
 
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StONE_ROdGEr

macrumors member
Nov 23, 2019
89
74
After the ghosting of the 16” being so bad on an otherwise perfect machine, I’m holding out for the new 13/14”. I’m hoping they boost the minimums in the specs somewhat. Think I will got for a 32gb 512 4 port. Just need them to hurry up now ?
 
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SSD-GUY

macrumors 65816
Sep 20, 2012
1,155
2,106
Interstellar
Just some perspective from a 13” MBp owner. I have a 2017 13” that I used as BYOD for work, however work have recently given me a 15” as BYOD is being scrapped.

Initially I didn’t like the 15” as it felt bigger than the 13”, however I’ve gotten used to the weight (500g sounds like a lot, but if you’re like me, and a commuter, you can easily remove 500g of junk, if not more, from your commuting backpack by getting rid of extra cables, leaving a charger at work, buying smaller notepads, not having a pencil case etc)

Now, I don’t think I can go back to the 13”, as the screen feels cramped, however don’t get me wrong, I do still like the portability of the 13”, but once you go 15”, it’s hard going back to a smaller screen, and you quickly adjust to the added bulk.

For those of you that came from the original unibody line of laptops, the 15” is only 200g or so heavier than the 2013” 13”, so we’ve come a long way
 

awesomedeluxe

macrumors 6502
Jun 29, 2009
262
105
It looks like Intel has confirmed that their 7nm CPUs won't ship until 2022, and the only 7nm parts in 2021 will be their new GPUs. This confirms what many of us had suspected about Intel's roadmap.

It also confirms why Apple had to go with a larger design for the 16". Intel's 10nm process does not offer clear advantages over the existing 14nm++ process, and 7nm is a ways away. It's really too bad, but there's nothing available in the near term that could work for a slimmer chassis.

I hope Apple does start working with AMD this year on the CPU-side and gets a head start on working through the chip's power management issues, because the most optimistic thing on the horizon is AMD's Zen 4. That could be arriving as soon as 2021 on TSMC's 5nm process, and it's still early enough for AMD and Apple to begin working together to have a semicustom part ready for Apple at launch.
 

SvenLorenz1975

macrumors regular
Sep 13, 2015
102
210
Germany
A question to those who know more about CPUs than me (so basically everybody):

Right now, is there a 10th generation CPU (with WiFi6 and the improved graphics) that could be put into a 2020 MacBook Pro 13" (or 14")? And not just the baseline machines, but the top built-to-order machines?

Or do we need to wait for Intel to release something first?
 

awesomedeluxe

macrumors 6502
Jun 29, 2009
262
105
A question to those who know more about CPUs than me (so basically everybody):

Right now, is there a 10th generation CPU (with WiFi6 and the improved graphics) that could be put into a 2020 MacBook Pro 13" (or 14")? And not just the baseline machines, but the top built-to-order machines?

Or do we need to wait for Intel to release something first?

Yes, Comet Lake. It has Wifi 6, but the integrated graphics are not really improved in the way Ice Lake's are.

There is an Ice Lake part that is coming this quarter that would have both Wifi 6 and the improved graphics.

Ice Lake and Comet Lake are both "10th Gen," and Ice Lake is not better than Comet Lake or vice versa. Ice Lake has better integrated graphics. Comet Lake performs better on CPU tasks, and most Comet Lake variants have more cores than Ice Lake. Additionally, Comet Lake comes in a variant for bigger laptops that can run faster/hotter than Ice Lake, which would push the CPU disparity even further

Traditionally, Apple has used CPUs similar to Comet Lake in the MBP 13, but it's possible they will release a variant that uses Ice Lake and no discrete graphics part.
 
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adamcz

macrumors regular
Jun 21, 2003
127
10
but once you go 15”, it’s hard going back to a smaller screen
IMO it's not very hard if your primary monitor is the same size either way, and the built-in screen is just a secondary monitor. Don't most pro users plug into a nice monitor (or two) the majority of the time?

To me 13" is about feeling more comfortable in my lap when I want to putz around on the internet while watching tv on the couch. The discontinued Macbook is the ultimate for that, but I don't want to own two laptops with one just for couch surfing.
 

SSD-GUY

macrumors 65816
Sep 20, 2012
1,155
2,106
Interstellar
IMO it's not very hard if your primary monitor is the same size either way, and the built-in screen is just a secondary monitor. Don't most pro users plug into a nice monitor (or two) the majority of the time?

To me 13" is about feeling more comfortable in my lap when I want to putz around on the internet while watching tv on the couch. The discontinued Macbook is the ultimate for that, but I don't want to own two laptops with one just for couch surfing.

Definitely however I used my work machine at a desk, either plugged into bigger monitors or, in meetings for example, by the MBP itself. In the latter scenario, the extra two inches really help, and going back to the 13” makes it feel cramped
 

trailmonkey

macrumors regular
Feb 22, 2019
150
64
Initially, I though the 16" was indeed a hefty old beast that wasn't naturally suited to being carted around the house and in and out of cafes. But within a couple of days I started getting used to it. Weeks later the only issue regarding portability was the psychology of carrying around a £3.5k device.
 
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