Slimmer 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Pros Reportedly in Production

MacRumors · Mar 16, 2012

Claims of redesigned MacBook Pro models continue to surface ahead of the official launch of Intel's Ivy Bridge chips, and Digitimes now reports that slimmer versions of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro are currently in production. Notably, the report claims that the MacBook Pro line will remain distinct from the MacBook Air line, with the new MacBook Pro models losing their optical drives but retaining more advanced specs than seen in the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Pro will no longer have an optical drive enabling thinner designs, the sources indicated. Despite the slim profile, the new devices will feature more advanced specs than the MacBook Air in terms of CPU performance and storage capacity, the sources said.

Production for the next-generation MacBook Pro has already begun with shipments to Apple kicking off in March, the sources noted. Monthly shipments will eventually climb to 900,000 units from the 100,000-150,000 units targeted initially, the sources said.

The report is very similar to one issued by Digitimes several weeks ago, but the new report offers the explicit claim that production on the new models has indeed begun.

For roughly a year we've been hearing word that Apple was working on a slimmer form factor for the MacBook Pro. Rumors have continued to pile up since that time, with some suggesting that Apple might gradually unify its notebook line with the release of a 15-inch "MacBook Air" in the near future being followed by a similar 17-inch model a few months later. But rumors have been split on whether Apple's larger notebooks would become true MacBook Airs or if they would retain the MacBook Pro name and more advanced specs while still adopting some of the MacBook Air design aesthetics.

Article Link: Slimmer 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Pros Reportedly in Production

espoir · Mar 16, 2012

retina display, please ))

KPOM · Mar 16, 2012

I wonder what would differentiate the 13" Pro from the 13" Air? Will it just be the faster CPUs and perhaps more ports (Firewire) that differentiate it today? A Retina Display, perhaps? Or perhaps they will use the slightly more room to add a discrete GPU? The latter seems unlikely given the rumors of offering integrated graphics in the 15". Or perhaps the 13" Pro will get Ivy Bridge first, along with 2 USB 3.0 ports to go with the Thunderbolt port, while the Air will stick with Sandy Bridge until the summer.

Digital Skunk · Mar 16, 2012

Bring it on! But please leave my ODD alone if you aren't going to replace it with a dual SSD or SSD and HDD CTO.

Oh, and don't skimp on the power.

Oh, and try not to burn my lap off.

Better yet, only make it thinner if you can still give me what I love about the MBP.

Damien · Mar 16, 2012

This is exactly what I want. A thinner Macbook Pro but with a dedicated graphics card. I would happily lose the disk drive for this. Retina display would be even more awesome.

Asclepio · Mar 16, 2012

Steve Jobs would have not approved it.

Small White Car · Mar 16, 2012

SSD + HD, please!

Beyond that, have fun with it, Apple. I'll be happy with anything you come up with.

wikus · Mar 16, 2012

espoir said:
retina display, please ))

I can't stand the term 'retina display' its marketing BS from Apple at its best. At first they claimed it to be on par (or better) than typical print resolution (300dpi) and yet the term is still used even for the iPad when its well below the 300dpi mark.

I'd expect noobs in the public to be duped by the term, but not anyone on forums like this one, most of us here are pretty tech savvy.

Moonjumper · Mar 16, 2012

It will be good if the Air and Pro lines are not merged. Removing the optical drive to allow a thinner device seems reasonable. A long as there are not other changes that compromise the ability to do Pro work.

Will a redesign mark the introduction of Retina displays? I hope so.

xinu · Mar 16, 2012

KPOM said:
I wonder what would differentiate the 13" Pro from the 13" Air? Will it just be the faster CPUs and perhaps more ports (Firewire) that differentiate it today? A Retina Display, perhaps? Or perhaps they will use the slightly more room to add a discrete GPU? The latter seems unlikely given the rumors of offering integrated graphics in the 15". Or perhaps the 13" Pro will get Ivy Bridge first, along with 2 USB 3.0 ports to go with the Thunderbolt port, while the Air will stick with Sandy Bridge until the summer.

There will be only slim MacBookPro as the news said.

No more optical drives.

You dont need powerful GPU in a laptop. If you are a gamer, you play with iOS or Xbox perhaps even AppleTV will have some games.

Laptops are for adults. Not for gaming children.

Risasi · Mar 16, 2012

I'm going to have to wait until both the new MBP and MBA are out before I decide what I'm getting. I'll be surprised if the 13" MBP is still around...

Fargard · Mar 16, 2012

They'll probably remain thicker than the Air (but keep optical HD), which will different this two lines.

andi242 · Mar 16, 2012

DrJohnnyN said:
Image

My credit card is waiting for this.

basesloaded190 · Mar 16, 2012

wikus said:
I can't stand the term 'retina display' its marketing BS from Apple at its best. At first they claimed it to be on par (or better) than typical print resolution (300dpi) and yet the term is still used even for the iPad when its well below the 300dpi mark.

I'd expect noobs in the public to be duped by the term, but not anyone on forums like this one, most of us here are pretty tech savvy.

I can't stand when people don't understand the math behind what apple terms as retina

espoir · Mar 16, 2012

wikus said:
I can't stand the term 'retina display' its marketing BS from Apple at its best. At first they claimed it to be on par (or better) than typical print resolution (300dpi) and yet the term is still used even for the iPad when its well below the 300dpi mark.

I'd expect noobs in the public to be duped by the term, but not anyone on forums like this one, most of us here are pretty tech savvy.

For me the 'retina display' term means not just huge resolution, but making everything more clear to see while maintaining the same size of the UI etc.

For example, I cannot see pixels on 27'' iMac but the size of the text and buttons becomes too small for me.

Tinyluph · Mar 16, 2012

xinu said:
There will be only slim MacBookPro as the news said.

No more optical drives.

You dont need powerful GPU in a laptop. If you are a gamer, you play with iOS or Xbox perhaps even AppleTV will have some games.

Laptops are for adults. Not for gaming children.

Laptops are for adults. That's why I want it to come with inferior hardware so I can use it as a facebook machine.

wikus · Mar 16, 2012

If the optical drive is removed but there is no space for a secondary drive, (currently I have SSD + HDD, one for OS X and the other for storage) I will have no reason to buy another MacBook Pro as it will officially negate it being marketed as a 'Pro' laptop.

SSD drives are too expensive to have as a single drive solution and for mass storage.

Small White Car · Mar 16, 2012

wikus said:
I can't stand the term 'retina display' its marketing BS from Apple at its best. At first they claimed it to be on par (or better) than typical print resolution (300dpi) and yet the term is still used even for the iPad when its well below the 300dpi mark.

I'd expect noobs in the public to be duped by the term, but not anyone on forums like this one, most of us here are pretty tech savvy.

Well, "tech savvy" people have been using the phrase 'HD video' for over a decade now, despite being equally as meaningless.

What makes you expect that they'd magically change at this point? At what point do we say past behavior DOES predict future actions?

Nitrocide · Mar 16, 2012

Good luck on the retina display wanting! Until resolution independence is sorted I suspect its going to be a long time coming to the mac. The current high res offering should just become standard, its really nice, perhaps up the brightness a bit on it though.

Still looking for reasonable capacity SSD's but the price still isn't right from what I can see.

Being lighter and thinner would be great, I have a dent on my 2010 15 mbp in an accident essentially made worse by the weight.

wikus · Mar 16, 2012

basesloaded190 said:
I can't stand when people don't understand the math behind what apple terms as retina

Theres no math behind it, its purely a marketing term.

Patriks7 · Mar 16, 2012

I hope they can make a HDD+SSD setup. A couple months ago I removed my DVD drive and put in an SSD and wow, most amazing thing I have ever done to my computer. Getting the amazing speed of an SSD and size of an HDD is just... orgasmic

throAU · Mar 16, 2012

espoir said:
retina display, please ))

current "hires" 15" or 17" machine is pretty close to retina at normal viewing distance.

i'll be happy if they just ditch the optical drive and use it for battery.

Liquinn · Mar 16, 2012

Looks like I'll be waiting for a while for a 17".

It'll be worth it.

Tinyluph · Mar 16, 2012

wikus said:
Theres no math behind it, its purely a marketing term.

There is math. It may be a marketing term but it is grounded in some truth. http://www.tuaw.com/2012/03/01/retina-display-macs-ipads-and-hidpi-doing-the-math/

ftaok · Mar 16, 2012

wikus said:
I can't stand the term 'retina display' its marketing BS from Apple at its best. At first they claimed it to be on par (or better) than typical print resolution (300dpi) and yet the term is still used even for the iPad when its well below the 300dpi mark.

Apple has never claimed that the retina display was based on print resolutions or 300 dpi. They have always maintained that a retina display has a pixel density high enough to where "normal" humans can not resolve the individual pixels.

IIRC, during the iPhone4 announcement, Jobs even mention that the retina display was based on a typical viewing distance. In the iPad (3rd gen) announcement, they elaborated on that by showing that typically, iPads are held at a farther distance away from the eyes, therefore, at 264 dpi, the individual pixels are undetectable.

Slimmer 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Pros Reportedly in Production

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