![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
Whats the next Mac Book Pro?
- Thread starter TekRok
- Start date
Apple's stated that they're done refreshing product lineups for the rest of the year. It's unlikely that the MacBook Pro line will see a refresh until some time next Spring. Even then, it'll probably be a minor speed bump and the introduction of the Core 2 Quad at the second-tier price point for each model. Not exactly worth waiting four months for.
There won't be a refresh any time soon. If you need a new notebook and want a Mac, buy now and enjoy it.
There won't be a refresh any time soon. If you need a new notebook and want a Mac, buy now and enjoy it.
I think we'll see i7 chips in the 17", and maybe the 15", but I don't think it is likely we'll see them in the 13". My guess would be that the current 13" macbook pro will stay the same until the developers conference next summer.
Even then, I bet we get a lesser quad than the i7 as an option, and a graphics card update. Maybe something else, but doubt it changes too much. Now is a good time to buy.
Even then, I bet we get a lesser quad than the i7 as an option, and a graphics card update. Maybe something else, but doubt it changes too much. Now is a good time to buy.
overclocky
n00b
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2009
- Messages
- 12
I would wait if I were you. I'm in the same situation myself and I will wait on the next macbook pro line, which should happen some time in the beginning of the new year.
XBarbarian
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2006
- Messages
- 1,370
yep.. gonna wait til after the new year myself..and hope for a quad avail
RanceJustice
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
- Messages
- 6,629
I'm hoping for way upgraded internals. I'd like to see at very least a Core i7 820, and an ATI 4830 1gb, like the HP Envy had. If it comes out in the spring, I'd much rather see a 58xx instead of a 48xx. This, combined with the other "mac features" like glass multitouch trackpad, mag safe, edge to edge high color gamut LED backlit screens etc... would get me to buy a mac for the first time. On which I'll likely run Windows and Linux.
I think that's a little ambitious. If you're interested in getting one, just grab it now rather than waiting for a bunch of very specific features that are unlikely to materialize.
If the 13 goes quad (a big, big if) it will be expensive and an option. If you think they are putting a 58xx in the macbook this spring while they're brand new top of the line imacs are sporting 48xx, you need to put the pipe down and rethink that in an hour or three.
Think about it like this, the updated imacs went from 38xx to 48xx when the 58xx was out. The next macbooks will have something along the lines of a GT240M or 4670. Remember, the hardware on Apple computers is generally behind the latest and the greatest that's out there, expecially in the 13" model, which apple sees as a student computer, not a leet video editing/gaming machine.
Think about it like this, the updated imacs went from 38xx to 48xx when the 58xx was out. The next macbooks will have something along the lines of a GT240M or 4670. Remember, the hardware on Apple computers is generally behind the latest and the greatest that's out there, expecially in the 13" model, which apple sees as a student computer, not a leet video editing/gaming machine.
This. Talk about expecting way too much.
RanceJustice
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
- Messages
- 6,629
I'm not interested in buying anything underpowered. That's my main problem. I like the ancillary features of MBPs (trackpad, aluminum chassis, backlit island keyboard, mag safe), but I hate that the price is so high for underpowered, aging hardware. $2500 would be fine for what I described above. If other companies can do it and charge less, I don't think its unreasonable to ask that of Apple. Then again, it seems that asking anything of Apple is treated as unreasonable by Apple.
Underpowered for what?
Apple's design strategy clearly emphasizes low power consumption and silent operation over raw compute power. As a rule of thumb, faster components in a small space means poor battery life and reduced longevity due to thermal stress. There's a spectrum, and manufacturers pick where they want to sit. Alienware will put the fastest components money can buy in a laptop that after a year won't get 45 minutes of battery life. Apple puts highly energy efficient components in a system that should get 5 hours or much more.
The new quad mobile processors ramp up power consumption. Therefore I don't see them showing up in anything other than maybe the 17".
Remember, we're talking about the company that just put the more expensive, slower mobile 48xx graphics in the iMac instead of the desktop model, so that a big honking 27" desktop would run cooler.
The new quad mobile processors ramp up power consumption. Therefore I don't see them showing up in anything other than maybe the 17".
Remember, we're talking about the company that just put the more expensive, slower mobile 48xx graphics in the iMac instead of the desktop model, so that a big honking 27" desktop would run cooler.
Bingo. Gold star to you, sir.
As long as you are buying your laptop on a performance per dollar basis, you will never like what Apple has to offer.
Apple, has, for the longest time now, preferred to value aesthetics, design, and just about everything else over producing a machine that has a good raw performance per dollar value. Lets be honest, they just don't make those machines.
The reason it costs more is because it has all of the other features you want! So you want all the killer design elements of an apple, and the raw power of an alienware, at the price of an acer? And you think Apple is the one being unreasonable?
RanceJustice
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
- Messages
- 6,629
With a handful of niggles (Read as: no backlit keyboard or edge to edge design), the HP Envy made a notebook that was about as thin as the MBP, with considerably more powerful specs. The "Big" elements of design were there as well, thin and light for the power, island keyboard, the HP Radience screen on the 13" model is thought by some to be better than those on Apples. It had a Core i7 processor, the 4830 video card which was tailor made for packing performance into small spaces, and such other features as 4 RAM slots for DDR3 RAM, removable battery, "slice" extra battery and more. All of this, while coming in cheaper than the MBP (at least in terms of the 15. I didn't configure the 13).
I'm not asking for an Alienware, but if the Envy can do it, so could Apple. There is no so much different between an Envy and a MacBook Pro to be worth $400-500, unless you value the fact that "its a mac" or OSX itself. There are powerful components that will "fit" in a thin, aesthetically designed chassis. Apple should use them.
I can't imagine apple not putting the core i7 quads in BOTH the 15 and 17 inch models after the 32nm variants come online.
But that will mean some interesting compromises. Battery life. I know apple uses good batteries, but getting a 15" mbp to last anywhere near the length of time with a mobile core i7 would seem impossible. It makes me wonder if they might adopt an additional slice option like the envy for more power.
But that will mean some interesting compromises. Battery life. I know apple uses good batteries, but getting a 15" mbp to last anywhere near the length of time with a mobile core i7 would seem impossible. It makes me wonder if they might adopt an additional slice option like the envy for more power.
So, go buy it.
Personally, I'm pretty underwhelmed with the Envy. They set out to clone the MacBook Pro and didn't really succeed in the areas that count. Higher specs just for the sake of higher specs is pointless. What are you going to do with that power? What specific aspect of OS X does not run well enough that you think a drastic upgrade is in order?
I dont think thats what they did at all. They set out to create a nice slim, power packed laptop, the design is very different from a Mac. Having the extra power in a laptop is always good because i dont always know what i will be installing in the future, battery life on the other hand is the only issue. Then again i dont know how good envy is on battery life.
But both laptops are very different with different designs, they might look similar, which all laptops are, but in the end very different.
The Envy 15 is missing one big element: an optical drive!
As for the next MacBook Pro, it's not hard to figure out based on Intel's roadmap. You'll see dual-core i5 and i7 processors, GeForce GTS 260M graphics (maybe 300 series if it's timed well) and possibly 16:9 aspect ratio displays. That could be great for the 15-inch MBP as it could get some extra horizontal resolution (1600x900 versus 1440x900).
As for the next MacBook Pro, it's not hard to figure out based on Intel's roadmap. You'll see dual-core i5 and i7 processors, GeForce GTS 260M graphics (maybe 300 series if it's timed well) and possibly 16:9 aspect ratio displays. That could be great for the 15-inch MBP as it could get some extra horizontal resolution (1600x900 versus 1440x900).
Are we talking about the same HP Envy? They pretty much reproduced the MacBook Pro's appearance as close as they legally could.
Faulty reasoning, IMO. Successive releases of OS X run faster regardless of the specific Mac model in use. Further, to say that there might be something in the future that will demand more power is to ignore that, in the future, there will be faster Macs to fill that need.
Apple relies more on Nvidia's roadmaps than Intel's.
Last edited:
mrmylanman
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2008
- Messages
- 1,484
I hope Apple doesn't move to 16:9 displays.
+1
Trust me OP, you'll be kicking yourself if you don't. I know I know, there's always going to be updated products, but when you're getting very close to the next product refresh bump, it's worth waiting then (unless you need it of course).
Speaking of updating the product line. Do you think they will EVER change the aesthetic design of the MB/MBP? I'm aware that we've gone to unibody and there have been some other slight changes here and there appearance wise, but we're had the same fundamental design for about 8-9 years now. I still like it, but it'd be interesting to see some new designs/colors/anything.
Put a current MacBook Pro next to an old PowerBook and you'll see how different the two are. The fact that both are silver does not constitute proof that Apple's notebook design has somehow stagnated.
Well I realize there are some obvious differences, but I would think that in 8-9 years we could see a little more variation. Maybe some colors besides silver? Different colors for keyboard backlighting? Different colors for the glowing apple.? I dunno, it just seems to me that it has remained largely unchanged over a long period of time. I can understand the "if its not broken, don't fix it" sort of mentality, and the obvious desire to make the MacBook Pro/PowerBook more of a cultural icon than a piece of consumer electronics...I just thought by now we would have seen more of an evolution, more options for consumers. Just my opinion though.
We already had the BlackBook.
Apple doesn't sell ricer kits.
Are you saying we haven't? 2003 would heavily disagree with you.
Not to mention all the fruity imac and ibook color combinations back in the late '90s and early 2000's.
Right, but those are old enough that they aren't worth mentioning, IMO. Besides, the reasoning behind the rainbow colored iMacs and iBooks had little to do with customization and everything to do with Marketing 101: when starting from zero, use pretty colors to attract attention and highlight your product. Now that Apple is back from the brink, they don't need to use lime green plastic.
Yeah, we had the BlackBook. I know. I owned one. Don't care. I'm talking about the Pro line. Not the MacBook/iBook/iMac.
I don't feel that Colorware and tacky/expensive crap like that should have to be my only option to have ANY aesthetic variety in my notebook. Why couldn't we get a MacBook Pro in black/red/green/blue dyed aluminum?
They don't come with ricer kits? What do you mean? They have glowing Apple logos and glowing keyboards now. One could argue it already comes with a ricer kit. So why not offer a few other color options? I'm not talking about throwing rainbows and tie dyed designs on the cases direct from the factory. I think its possible to make subtle, tactful color options for consumers. They seemed to have pulled off the whole concept of color options pretty well with the iPod...why can't they do that with all of their aluminum cased products?
batteriesnotincluded
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2007
- Messages
- 1,195
I say keep the design. When you have a good one, make subtle changes. Like the Thinkpads over the generations...rather than any of the consumer PC lines.
That's not to say there aren't changes that can and should be made. I'm not giving up my Thinkpad for an Apple until I can have eSATA, non-proprietary video outputs (like that will ever happen), docking station support, support for multiple hard drives (even if that means removing the optical drive), etc.
That's not to say there aren't changes that can and should be made. I'm not giving up my Thinkpad for an Apple until I can have eSATA, non-proprietary video outputs (like that will ever happen), docking station support, support for multiple hard drives (even if that means removing the optical drive), etc.
Yea i will wait for sure, i have my netbook to keep me occupied when i am in school. I am not looking into a powerhouse, just a sleek machine to take with me. I never owned a mac so this will be an experience for me. Even if the specs arent updated much in the next line i will still get the new one
Only if one intentionally distorted the nature of said logo and keyboard for the purpose of being unnecessarily argumentative. A backlit keyboard is a usability feature, and while I can do without the blatant advertising of said light-up logo, it's about as far from egregious and intrusive as one can get.
Further, if Colorware is "tacky" in your eyes, exactly what the heck are you after?
The consumer market served by the iPod is not the same as the professional/prosumer market served by the MacBook Pro, clearly. Beyond that, there are marketing reasons behind the MBP's aluminum design, just as there were marketing reasons behind the multicolored plastic iMacs and iBooks from a decade ago, and just as there were marketing reasons for the removal of multicolored plastic from the Mac line.
QFT, probably the most clearly I've seen it explained.
Only revision I'd put is battery life, ever since Anand proved that he was very easily able to get closer to 8 hours of battery life out of the new MBPs.
I like going here when I'm unsure: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
Personally, if I buy new Macs it is usually shortly after a product refresh. If I don't then I clearly don't need the upgrade.