Apple to Update MacBook Pro and MacBook Air in June 2013 with New Processors, All Retina?

arn said:

well, I don't think Apple's going to be making x86 processors, so then you'd have to invoke an ARM MacBook Air.

arn

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Hellhammer said:

That would have to be ARM then. It's not impossible given the performance of Apple's A6 and ARM's Cortex A15 (quad core at high clocks might be able to match the current chips in MBAs, assuming performance scales linearly). My take is that the new platform is simply Haswell, though.

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It doesn't "have to be ARM". The same folks predicting platform change are the same ones citing a substantive price cut before the new product is introduced. Those are about equally as dubious taken completely literally.

First, AMD is an alternative if driving the Retina display graphics becomes a higher primary design issue than x86 top speed. ( if gutting CPU performance with ARM is an option, then doing much less of a reduction to AMD would be even more viable. Also lacking would be an ARM GPU solution aimed at 2x pixel count pushing that a Retina MBA 13" would require that would be substantively better than AMD or Intel's solutions on track for the same timeframe. )

Second, "platform" could be loosely be used here as changing from two chip solution (CPU + IOHUB) to a single SoC ( system on a chip) solution. Haswell will have SoC, single chip, options.

As long as they keep the price low. They added retina displays to the iPhone 4 without raising the price, and they should do that with the MBPs. Unless they're going to start marketing the Air as the entry level computer and return the Pro to its, well, Pro status.

retina air is my dream device, don't need the power of the pro and the extra bulk

but I can't do without the screen

I seriously doubt they will switch to ARM. Maybe in one model, but not the whole lineup of MBAs. Apps have to be rewritten to run on the platform, don't they?

Besides, Haswell is looking awesome for the ultraportable space.

ifij775 said:

My prediction is that apple's laptops add LTE

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That make sense for the MBA line....

bbeagle said:

Cry me a river.

I grew up with this:

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I grew up with that too. Coolest, cutting edgiest thing in its day... expensive too. Emphasis on "it's day." Not sure how OS 6 is relevant to 2012 though. Time doesn't live in a vacuum.

21" iMac screen is OK, but it's hardly a beauty or state of the art in 2013.

alohamade said:

By analyzing this chart, this probably means that the current 13 inch and 15 inch cMBP will be done away with, being replaced by the retina versions of each.

I'm a little sad to finally see the end of user serviceable laptops But I know that Apple has great things planned for the line

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If they are all not user-serviceable, then I current own my last set of Macbook Pros. Their laptops are WAY to expensive for non user-serviceable. It would be a setback to their old proprietary ways that will limit their userbase again.

Going all retina is the only way Apple will gain full adoption of high-res displays. Leaving a non-retina model in their line, will no doubt be popular given the lower price point.

While these Retina MB/MBA's will be a tough price to swallow, it's not uncommon for Apple to take this approach. They push the industry to new standards. Yes, they end up being the scapegoat and everyone balks at the cost of Apple products, but 2 years from now, every PC manufacturer will have the same retina-like resolutions.

Meh, retina on a laptop is overrated. Who needs something that just sucks more power and doesn't really add anything useful? If Apple's going to add more pixels, it should be on the TB displays and the iMacs since a 13" rMBP has more pixels than the 27" TB display! I'm not asking for retina iMacs and TB displays, but they need to be upgraded.

Macdick said:

New Processor All Retina with HUGE 128GB SSD

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Hey, but you get an Apple Logo and an aluminum shell or the $800 markup.

Hopefully Haswell will let Apple put a quad core in the 13", that coupled with faster GPU will make the 13" rMBP a very nice machine; 13" form factor and 2560x1600 working resolution are just so incredible! If we can get 16GB of RAM too I'll finally phase out my trusty '08 Mac Pro.

...or apple could find a way to squeeze in a dGPU


P.S. We'll probably see Apple buy Intel and make x86 CPUs before we see a move to ARM.

Braniff747SP said:

It'll be interesting to see if prices will come down.

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I'm afraid that's pure wishful thinking, for prices will go up all the way.

Obviously, Apple's only strategy after Steve's death is all about increasing prices and improve profit margins, no matter what it takes, no matter what people need or don't. Like making iMacs thinner, preventing memory upgrades in the lowest models, adding Retina everywhere ...

God knows what excuse they will find next, in order to justify higher prices.

There's a lot of talk in this thread about CPUs, displays, and pricing, but what about form factor?

Having never owned an apple laptop myself, I am not familiar with their refresh cycle and what they try to accomplish. It's my understanding that the latest rMBPs were created in June of 2012 - if we're seeing a refresh 1 year later in June 2013, is it expected that this will be just an internal refresh of hardware components, or is it possible we'll see thinner and lighter form factors too?

Macboy Pro said:

If they are all not user-serviceable, then I current own my last set of Macbook Pros. Their laptops are WAY to expensive for non user-serviceable. It would be a setback to their old proprietary ways that will limit their userbase again.

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I figure that is what they are going to do, so I am trying to make plans to figure out what to go to instead. It's fine for a lot of people I am sure but there is no way I am buying anything where I can't swap out RAM and HDD or whatever storage solutions they use.

I see prices going higher, not counting the 11" whatever that is supposed to be, I think the Air will go up to at least $1299, and the cheapest 13" MBP retina will be $1499. 15" will probably get a $1999 model and they will just discontinue the 13" and 15" models with the ODD. It's the cheapest way and they avoid any redesigns and maximize that profit in doing so.

Adding touch would be incedible

The single biggest feature I want to see added to (at least) the MacBook Air is a touchscreen.

Steve's old claims that people don't want to use touch devices vertically has long since become outdated.

I use my iPad both ways and when I hop onto my 17" MacBook Pro, I catch myself inadvertently reaching out to move something on the screen. In reality, the trackpad is little more than a sloppy proxy of the actual screen. My entire screen should be the trackpad. This feature exists in the PC world and it's long overdue on the Mac. A minor tweak to MacOS is all that is needed (because like it or not, Apple is already making MacOS more and more like iOS with every revision).

Right now Apple lowballs the specs on its most portable models. The 13" rMBP is maybe the most absurd low balling, followed closely by the 11" MBA that has 64 GB of flash storage. I'm convinced they do this both because they want to promote their iPads and their iMacs. They don't want their ultraportables becoming the "main machine" for anyone because ideally they want one of the following combo:

1. iMac/MBA
2. CMBP/iPad
3. 15" rMBP/iPad/MBA

So either they'll continue to lowball the MBA or they'll continue to inflate the price of the 13" rMBP. They simply don't want anyone being too comfortable with ONE ultraportable Mac because they want you to for some reason also "need" an iMac or iPad.

I'm not counting the iPhone in this because I believe the phone will always be marketed to a much wider group than the Macs.

Air + IGZO + Haswell = Winner?

Patriot24 said:

Air + IGZO + Haswell = Winner?

I see a lot of fear around performance and battery life with taking the Air retina, but I'm wondering if Apple's reported shift toward IGZO technology could address some of those issues? Aren't IGZO displays supposed to consume much less energy?

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I immediately thought this as well. Lower production volumes than the iPads or iPhones, thinner works for the Air, and not requiring 21" or 27" that the iMacs would.

Um... yeah...

Who didn't see this coming when they introduced the retina MBP alongside the 'classic' MBP.

It was only a matter of 'when' not 'if'.

katewes said:

Tim Cook has no idea how bad, in some but not all, lighting conditions, these still-glossy screens can make life so difficult for some users, because Tim Cook uses his iPad 80% of the time.

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Right, I'm sure he's completely incapable of sitting near a window.

come on retina mba with LTE

FuNGi said:

It no worky after the "3-5 years term"

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It works for 3. I guess I'm odd, but I don't typically keep laptops for more than about 3 years. The situation is hypothetical anyway, we don't know how much Apple would charge to fix corrupted RAM on a rMBP.

Aluminum213 said:

retina air is my dream device, don't need the power of the pro and the extra bulk

but I can't do without the screen

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Same. Would buy it immediately.

bungiefan89 said:

Oh, PLEASE don't make the whole line Retina displays. I don't want to be locked in to paying extra for a screen resolution I don't need...

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if its standard its not going to cost extra. I don't know why anyone would not want a retina display if they could have one. Everything else looks like c**p after using a retina display.

Should i wait for this or buy right now?

Should i wait for this new macs or buy right now? cause i want this right now but the haswell is very good processor. and i know that the Ivy Bridge is a also good processor. what do you think Should i wait for this or buy right now? i need reply!! thanks

cmChimera said:

It works for 3. I guess I'm odd, but I don't typically keep laptops for more than about 3 years. The situation is hypothetical anyway, we don't know how much Apple would charge to fix corrupted RAM on a rMBP.

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You are more likely to get struck by lightning then somehow develop corrupted ram in a laptop you have had for awhile.

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The only thing you could really claim is lowballed on the 13" rMBP is SSD size which you can increase.
8 GB ram, and 2.5 ghz i5 are hardly lowball specs.
The 11 inch is configurable with 64, 128, 2456, or 512 GB SSD.
I doubt laptop prices have anything to do with anything but other laptops, not iPads or iMacs at all.

Poisonivy326 said:

Right now Apple lowballs the specs on its most portable models. The 13" rMBP is maybe the most absurd low balling, followed closely by the 11" MBA that has 64 GB of flash storage. I'm convinced they do this both because they want to promote their iPads and their iMacs. They don't want their ultraportables becoming the "main machine" for anyone because ideally they want one of the following combo:

1. iMac/MBA
2. CMBP/iPad
3. 15" rMBP/iPad/MBA

So either they'll continue to lowball the MBA or they'll continue to inflate the price of the 13" rMBP. They simply don't want anyone being too comfortable with ONE ultraportable Mac because they want you to for some reason also "need" an iMac or iPad.

I'm not counting the iPhone in this because I believe the phone will always be marketed to a much wider group than the Macs.

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