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UnixSaysGo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 15, 2012
17
0
New York City
Rumors have been flying around that Apple is removing the optical drive, the HDD (look, I'm all for SDDs, but how am I supposed to use a computer as my primary device if it's 128GB?), and will make it super-thin (which will jack up the prices). I think this whole "ultrabook" thing is stupid; if it can't fit in my coat pocket it can be as thick as you want granted it won't tear my shoulders off (in my backpack). This will turn the MBP line into glorified MBAs, and, well, some of us don't like that.

I'm a very picky person when it comes to computers. I don't like All-in-Ones (laptop-level hardware at desktop-level portability) and I don't like ultrabooks, and a lot of other people think that way. Apple is an extremely rich company and I don't think they NEED to cut down on all of their products: rumors are going about that they're getting rid of the iPod Classic (800 days without an update?), the Mac Pro (570 days without update), the iPod Shuffle (580 days without update) and now the Macbook Pro? This leaves people like me with only the Mac Mini for a legal OS X experience.
 

BanterClaus

macrumors regular
Feb 19, 2011
195
25
UK
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Yeh I really hope Apple doesn't ditch the MBPs simply for the larger storage. I mean I know large SSDs exist but it will be just too expensive ATM.
 

MrBullet

macrumors member
Oct 18, 2011
78
0
Bristol, UK
I doubt Apple will get rid of the Pro.

Having two distinct models in the notebook range is a must in terms of sales. More choice for the potential customers.
 

Krazy Bill

macrumors 68030
Dec 21, 2011
2,985
3
As you pointed out, loyal Apple supporters have been thrown under the bus before. This is nothing new. The writing's been on the wall for some time now. I'd say there's a 65% change the Air/Pro will merge by the next refresh. If not then, 100% convinced this will happen the refresh after that. A single MacBook line. All ultra portable. Given the fiasco that is FCPX and no Mac Pro... Apple is strictly a general consumer company now rooted in iOS.
 

Suno

macrumors 6502
Dec 12, 2011
252
1
Apple isn't getting rid of the Pro, more like merging it with the Air. What you end up with is some garbage laptop that isn't suitable for those of us who require a powerhouse, and at the same time isn't suitable for those who require an ultrabook. But I guess Apple is simply trying to appeal to the masses (who I'd say makes up 75% of Pro/Air users) so they can garner in more net income.

I don't care if the new Ivy bridge processor runs cooler, there is no way a laptop that's any thinner than the current macbook can handle powerhouse components (discrete GPU) without down-clocking it or sacrificing performance in some way.
 

PlaceofDis

macrumors Core
Jan 6, 2004
19,241
6
there are only rumors of what may happen at some point. we have no idea what to expect from an Air-like MBP. they could trim down the thickness of it and still retain the traditional 2.5" hard drives and get rid of the optical bay, etc. i do think we will see larger MBAs at some point which only makes sense.
 

Apple OC

macrumors 68040
Oct 14, 2010
3,667
4,328
Hogtown
I heard Apple was gonna ditch the Airs ... customers still want computers with power ... not slim less powerful eye candy :D
 

Acorn

macrumors 68030
Jan 2, 2009
2,642
349
macrumors
one of the newest news posts at macrumors said apple has to expand its current line to grow and it just doesnt make sense to me for apple to do the exact opposite of what they need to do by getting rid of a line to gain more money. I think the macbook pro will evolve and possibly be thinner but i dont think they will merge with the air. my largest concern right now is the future of the 15 inch macbook pro and possibly loosing its dedicated graphics for a slightly thinner design.
 

shootist

macrumors regular
Dec 8, 2011
108
0
Apple is strictly a general consumer company now rooted in iOS.

You got that right.
I'm new to Mac, but I'm not a switcher I also have new PCs, and I can't believe all the problems people are having with the newest models and the newest OS and updates.
Has it always been like this with Apple Mac?

If it has it's a wonder they are still in business.

But then they have the hottest Consumer products, which the only one I have is a iPod classic I bought 2.5 years ago.
 

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
People are just speculating. Half these rumors are more predictions than leaked evidence. It's important to remember that. I am not so confident about an Air/Pro merge because you'd need to offer something more in a 15" Air unless people really aren't at all discriminating on their Apple purchases.

There are a lot of ways they could try to cram things into a small enclosure, but unless people really believe the current Air design is severely underperforming relative to its potential, we won't see any dramatic increases in performance in the form factor within the next cycle. Removing an optical drive and potentially switching to stick drives (you heard the new name here first :p) is something, but I don't see it enabling thermal profiles and battery life with 45W cpus and equivalent gpus within an Air like density. Without that it the market is just people who want a 15" display. There are many, but that's a much lower product differentiation, especially at similar pricing unless they use 512GB drives (unlikely unless pricing quickly trends downward).

Another thing is ports... There's something that I don't think everyone notices. They use a lower bandwidth TB port in the Air for one. I don't think the current TB ports support bus powered devices even though light peak was initially designed for this. The Air has 2x usb ports. This limits power draw. Usb can draw up to 10W per port or something like that? It also has a cpu overhead which affects battery life. I'm just not sure everyone notices this. Limiting ports is one way of preserving battery life.
 

that1guyy

macrumors 6502
Nov 11, 2011
454
20
You got that right.
I'm new to Mac, but I'm not a switcher I also have new PCs, and I can't believe all the problems people are having with the newest models and the newest OS and updates.
Has it always been like this with Apple Mac?

If it has it's a wonder they are still in business.

But then they have the hottest Consumer products, which the only one I have is a iPod classic I bought 2.5 years ago.

Umm, if you're wondering about topics on macrumors about people having problems, then yes, its always been like that. However, as I have learned, Macrumors doesn't represent the entire mac user population. This site is where people come to get help often times, that's why you see a disproportionate amount of people having problems here; its because they all congregate here.
 

Mac32

Suspended
Nov 20, 2010
1,263
454
I wouldn't mind a slimmed down MBP at all.
Laptops should be as portable as possible, but still being reasonably powerful. I'm 100% for ditching the optical disk drive and the hard drive, and having an SSD instead. This is 2012, let us not get stuck in the past.
I would love to have the MBA-ish design on the 15', though I can't see it working properly on the 17' - its casing would be far too flexible, but who knows what Apple has up their sleeve.
I'm very excited to see how the next generation of MBPs will turn out!
 
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nick9191

macrumors 68040
Feb 17, 2008
3,365
189
Britain
I'm all for getting rid of the optical drive and hard drive. It will be a bold move but think of the advantages. Super speed- With SSD storage on the board like the Air means lighting fast boot times. And since they currently sell the $1199 Air with a 128GB SSD, if the Pro came default with an SSD as well they could probably get a 256GB SSD in the baseline Pro due to bulk buying. Plus there's thunderbolt.

Getting rid of the HDD and DVD drive gives them a ton of space. Top of the line AMD graphics? Top of the line mobile quad core i7's? And plenty of room to cool it all. Return of the 10 hour battery?

I mean, is a dual core i5 with Intel graphics really considered more "professional" by you guys than the machine I described? And I put the word professional in quotes because describing a machine as professional based on specs is inherently stupid in the first place.

You got that right.
I'm new to Mac, but I'm not a switcher I also have new PCs, and I can't believe all the problems people are having with the newest models and the newest OS and updates.
Has it always been like this with Apple Mac?

If it has it's a wonder they are still in business.

But then they have the hottest Consumer products, which the only one I have is a iPod classic I bought 2.5 years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z4m4lnjxkY
 

MagicBoy

macrumors 68040
May 28, 2006
3,947
1,025
Manchester, UK
Erm. They're not.

If I started a rumour about the battery in the next gen portables being made out of custard would you believe that as well?
 

Medic278

macrumors 6502a
Feb 1, 2012
657
0
New York
I also hope Apple doesn't ditch the pro. They are great machines and I prefer my pro over my air its just all round better. I also hope Apple doesn't ditch the optical drive, I know everyone seems to want it gone but it still serves a purpose and is useful to many. But alas everything right now is rumor and speculation I guess we just have to play the waiting game for the time being.
 

Freyqq

macrumors 601
Dec 13, 2004
4,038
181
ditching the 13" mbp makes some sense unless they add a switchable discrete video card.
 
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Medic278

macrumors 6502a
Feb 1, 2012
657
0
New York
ditching the 13" mbp makes some sense. However, i'd like to see them add a switchable discrete video card instead.

Noo keep the 13 its serves a purpose and is popular plus its perfect for those of us that don't need a quad core or the real estate of a 15. I think the 13 is great machine and serves a good sized market segment. Having both a pro and an air I prefer my pro, more storage space more powerful and just as portable.
 

416049

macrumors 68000
Mar 14, 2010
1,844
2
ditching the 13" mbp makes some sense. However, i'd like to see them add a switchable discrete video card instead.

I gotta agree with the second part of your post however I don't see a reason as of why ditching the 13inch MBP would make sense, unless you can show me a better or equally good alternative.
 

Krazy Bill

macrumors 68030
Dec 21, 2011
2,985
3
Whatever Apple does... I hope they get rid of the ODD so all the threads and arguments about it cease once and for all. :)
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
8,772
6,935
Perth, Western Australia
Apple may trim the pro range, and it may change form factor, but there is no way they are going to limit people to some non-expandable machine with no ports.

The air is fine for what most people do. if you're doing content creation though, 4GB of RAM is a joke. 8GB is minimal, and for some people 16 or 32 gigs is not even enough.

If they get rid of the pro, they'll kill a significant portion of the market.


edit:
to reiterate: they won't kill the pro. Sure, its not their core market, but where does all the media that those on iPhones, iPads, and macbook airs are consuming come from? Where do the apps come from?

Its made on apple hardware. Beefier hardware than the air.
 

/user/me

macrumors 6502
Feb 28, 2011
496
0
I'm all for getting rid of the optical drive and hard drive. It will be a bold move but think of the advantages. Super speed- With SSD storage on the board like the Air means lighting fast boot times. And since they currently sell the $1199 Air with a 128GB SSD, if the Pro came default with an SSD as well they could probably get a 256GB SSD in the baseline Pro due to bulk buying. Plus there's thunderbolt.

Getting rid of the HDD and DVD drive gives them a ton of space. Top of the line AMD graphics? Top of the line mobile quad core i7's? And plenty of room to cool it all. Return of the 10 hour battery?

I mean, is a dual core i5 with Intel graphics really considered more "professional" by you guys than the machine I described? And I put the word professional in quotes because describing a machine as professional based on specs is inherently stupid in the first place.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z4m4lnjxkY

Try running CAD applications and video rendering in an Air, and then you'd be qualified to speak on such things. The hardware in the Air doesn't even come close to providing the user the ability to do these things. I could see getting rid of the optical drive MAYBE. and the HDD when they're cheaper - not yet... Getting rid of discreet graphics and only 4 gb of ram MAX and unexpandable?? Not gonna happen. People do use macs for more than Facebook machines and microsoft word ya know.....
 

Medic278

macrumors 6502a
Feb 1, 2012
657
0
New York
Try running CAD applications and video rendering in an Air, and then you'd be qualified to speak on such things. The hardware in the Air doesn't even come close to providing the user the ability to do these things. I could see getting rid of the optical drive MAYBE. and the HDD when they're cheaper - not yet... Getting rid of discreet graphics and only 4 gb of ram MAX and unexpandable?? Not gonna happen. People do use macs for more than Facebook machines and microsoft word ya know.....

I completely agree. The Air is not and will not be a viable replacement for the pro. Not everybody uses their Pro just to surf the web. Even a 256GB SSD is not large enough for me and all I do is some light photo and video editing, I cannot imagine what a graphics or coding professional would use. I hate it when people say that the Air is plenty powerful and should replace the pro, just because their needs are met by the Air doesn't mean everyones are.
 

eagandale4114

macrumors 65816
May 20, 2011
1,011
1
"The best part about quotes on the internet is that you cannot be sure of their validity"-Abraham Lincoln
</Sarcasm>

OP do you really believe everything you see on the internet?
 

Medic278

macrumors 6502a
Feb 1, 2012
657
0
New York
"The best part about quotes on the internet is that you cannot be sure of their validity"-Abraham Lincoln
</Sarcasm>

OP do you really believe everything you see on the internet?

Thats a fair point, but apparently they do otherwise there wouldn't be a thread lol.
 
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