13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro and Updated iMacs Reportedly Due in September-October

[Lancer]

iMac - finally some light at the end of the tunnel?

I can wait (keep saving) and get a new 27" iMac in Sept/Oct, I refuse to by the current 'old' one.

[IPlayFair]

Originally Posted by Mike Valmike

Granted, this is a better source than DigiTimes, but it still seems really implausible that Apple would launch Mac hardware in the shadow of the spotlight on the new iPhone.

Why? You have people like us waiting for our favorite Mac and you have other people waiting for the next IPhone. As you know, desktops are not a priority of any of the computer makers. HP, for example, considered getting rid of its computer division this year. I can envisioned a scenario where Apple releases the Macs with the only commentary being a press release and its web site update; then release the IPhone with their usual fanfare. Perfectly plausible.

[michaeljordan]

I'm not sure what's the point of a retina macbook pro 13 inch, since the lighter and thinner form factor 13'' is already available in the form of a macbook air. That is already a pretty powerful computer for daily use. Unless people are in the market for a 13" with discrete graphics.

[Lancer]

I'm sure the 2012 iMac will NOT include a retina LCD.

The 'screen lamination issues' might be related to a Matte screen option?

[Confuzzzed]

There will be a lot of disappointed iMac people out there who had been anticipating a refresh this weekm, but this report seems specific and I guess it should allay fears that the iMac is going the way of the Mac Pro. October it is then (although it doesn't make much sense timing wise to release a new iMac so close to the release of the new iPhone)...

[TheralSadurns]

Originally Posted by lannisters4life

WTF are "screen lamination issues"? If this is true, the iMac would have some kind of new screen, because they're laminating the current ones fine enough. I'd bet on a 24" before a retina 21" or retina 27", but hey, love to be wrong.

Precisely. There has to be SOME change. Whether it is a move to retina or not. Because if they were using the exact same panel... why would they then be able to produce it for 2011 models but not 2012...

[MentalFloss]

Originally Posted by MacinDoc

These predictions are worryingly silent on the Mini. No reason why it couldn't come out at the same time as the next gen. 13" MBP. We may be nearing the end of the road for the Mini.

Which, sadly enough, is going to be the end of the road for me and OS X. I will not buy notebooks, as I have no need for a portable computing device other than the iPad, and I will not buy an iMac, as I don't see why I should buy a new display every time I buy a new Mac (and I like to have a choice when it comes to displays).

I don't even know which other platform I could move to when Apple decides that they don't want me as a customer anymore. I am certainly not going back to Windows.

[Rideherhard]

Apple won't release 2 new iPads in one calendar year, assuming that's what the modify iPad means. I even have a hard time believing a new smaller iPad model will release in the fall as it falls out of line with the iPad release in the new year and it'll make more sense for them to have the two released at the same time.

[Reaktor5]

Originally Posted by TheralSadurns

Precisely. There has to be SOME change. Whether it is a move to retina or not. Because if they were using the exact same panel... why would they then be able to produce it for 2011 models but not 2012...

Most likely the same design as the rMBP to reduce glare. Doubt it's Retina this year.

[the8thark]

Another nice guess at then X Apple product will be released. It is just a guess though. It's always fun to guess. But I'll take it as fact when it comes from the mouth of Apple.

[robertosh]

i doubt this, so many big products for only two months... i think that this year i will see the new iphone and improved ipods and maybe appleTv. The ipad nano until the ipad 4 launch, with retina screen too. For the new retina imacs and 13" macbook i think that we have to wait until WWDC'13 at least.

[Reaktor5]

Originally Posted by the8thark

Another nice guess at then X Apple product will be released. It is just a guess though. It's always fun to guess. But I'll take it as fact when it comes from the mouth of Apple.

He's had a pretty good record of predicting things.

The only things that don't quite make sense to me is launching the new iPod touch (presumably with iOS 6) before the new iPhone and choosing not to release the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro at WWDC.

[maxwelltech]

I just got my 13 MBP, so please don't release it this year. This update cycle is way too short.

[Davidkoh]

Originally Posted by SchneiderMan

No chance. The 15-inch RMBP will be the one and only portable Retina Mac. I can see an iMac and even a Retina external display, but smaller MacBooks? That would be stupid of Apple.

You do realise that Apple laptops (apart from the retina) has crap resolutions? If they want to keep on selling the 13" Pro (or MBA) they will have to at least upgrade their resolutions to what the competitors similar models are sporting. It would be stupid of Apple to lose ground in the segment they are selling most laptops in.

I would say it's highly likely that Apple will be pushing out a 13" MBP with higher resolution this year. I also wonder if there will be any event for it, maybe if they push out the 13" Pro and other updated Macs at the same time.

[party]

My guess:

(early) Sept. music event - launch of new iPods (and hopefully new iTunes!)

Oct. Mac event - 13 inch MBPR, iMac, other Mac related updates (Mini/Pro anyone?)

Oct. iPhone event -

As for the iPads, since the release schedule is really really crowded, why not put it in January?

Jan. iPad event - new iPad 4th gen. and (possibly) iPad mini

[AndyCarolan]

Just suppose that the iMac update just refers to a redesigned model. It doesn't rule out the possibility of a spec bumped current model before the speculation of an October release

[Jobsian]

Originally Posted by Jayse

13" Retina MBP & New iPhone...
Image

I laughed the first couple of times I saw this, but now all I see is a gormless brain-dead consumer with no self-respect and it fills me with unreasonable rage, in a way it's humiliating

[captjon]

Originally Posted by 12dylan34

It's good to just see a chart from a believable source like this. I would love for a new iMac to be released tomorrow or the next day, but the chart makes it a bit more bearable to wait, honestly. If only Apple would release charts like this themselves...

This is info from Apple. They don't do this kind of thing themselves, but they know there are lots of people expecting a new iMac with the new OS release this week. Tipping off an analyst before the release preempts complaints when it doesn't happen.

[bushido]

would the huge but necessary battery to power the retina display even fit into the 13 inch one?

[weckart]

Originally Posted by Jobsian

I laughed the first couple of times I saw this, but now all I see is a gormless brain-dead consumer with no self-respect and it fills me with unreasonable rage, in a way it's humiliating

That really was the point of that comment in that episode of Futurama. For some reason it became adopted in its internet meme as some kind of positive consumer war cry. Now it has gone full circle back to its original sarcastic source.

Apple does not care why people behave in that way as long as they continue to behave in that way. Keep those sales graphs pointing upwards and the shareholders will stay happy.

[Mr-Stabby]

New iMac in September, October? So schools in the UK are forced to buy the old model before their new term starts in September, and these new models will be automatically out of date probably a few weeks later. Fantastic! Nice one Apple! I've got to buy 28 new iMacs that have got to last us quite a few years, and it annoys the hell out of me that we'll have to buy what are essentially outdated models. We're not made of money.

I can't believe Apple would go to the trouble of putting Mountain Lion on the old models, then a month later replace the model.

I feel more and more screwed over by Apple every year.

[lmddawson]

If all of that happens, I will be such a happy customer.
Not particularly sold on the iPad Mini happening, but everything else sounds pretty damn good!!

[Lancer]

Originally Posted by Mr-Stabby

I can't believe Apple would go to the trouble of putting Mountain Lion on the old models, then a month later replace the model.

It's the same deal for US schools.

[PeterJP]

Hi,

Originally Posted by MacBandit

If they make a Retina 13" MBP I hope they put a real GPU in it. I really can't see how they couldn't since the on board GPU can barely drive the OS on the retina display(...)

You obviously haven't followed the news. Any issues of lag using only the HD4000 have been solved in the pre-releases of ML. And anyway, the 13" Retina screen is only 2560x1600. Macs with way slower GPUs have been known to run two 2560x1440 displays without lag. You are blinded by the fact that the HD4000 is an internal graphics chip and you haven't noticed that internal graphics have long gone way beyond the capabilities of what discrete graphics used to be capable of. Maybe you want to do folding@home with your rMBP 13" ? Do note that the name is folding@HOME, not "folding-on-the-move".

Originally Posted by Rideherhard

Apple won't release 2 new iPads in one calendar year, assuming that's what the modify iPad means.

No, I think they will silently modify the internals without telling anybody. Companies do that all the time: replace internals to improve margins. Reading how AppleInsider & MacRumors describe what the report says, I think the update will go unnoticed (except by forums like these )

Originally Posted by Mr-Stabby

New iMac in September, October? So schools in the UK are forced to buy the old model before their new term starts in September(...)

I don't think Apple cares much about UK schools. The UK seems to have a very special thing with schools and technology. It's the only country that I know of where computer companies suddenly started focusing their whole strategy around the educational market. I'm thinking about Acorn. I'm also thinking that Acorn could've been more successful if they hadn't taken that route.

Back to the topic: the 13" rMBP is scheduled to arrive right at the time when I will finally have the money for a decent laptop. As desirable as the 11" MBA is, if the 13" rMBP is as interesting as it sounds, the 13" it will be. As I calculated before, I'm expecting about €1600 for a model with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, which would be my choice.


Peter.

[malloci]

I understood moving iphone/ipod releases to later in the year. They allow Apple to capitalize on the holiday season a bit better. It also ensured that customers had recovered from their summer computer purchases enough to warrant purchasing the new ios devices. Release events are also clean, simple, and focused--a very apple thing to evolve to. Conflating a bunch of releases of a bunch of product lines ove the span of 2 months is very un-apple.

I also have a hard time believing that apple would also slap parents and students that hard in the face by releasing a whole new set of updates immediately following the back-to-school season. Moreover, i can't see apple willing to risk losing that cash by not updating the imac and mac mini lines prior to/during that season.