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What will the next Macbook refresh bring?

G

GoPro

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 10, 2012
82
0
It has been 7 months since the last refresh of the Macbook line. Since the release of the unibody macbooks, there has been a refresh more or less every 8 months which should mean we're due for one in January 2013.

It's a given that the new Macbook line will comprise a slightly faster processor, but will there be other improvements?

Is it likely we will see an increase in storage space for the Macbook air, moving the base models' storage capability to 128gb for the 11" and 256gb for the 13" base models?

Will the Macbook pro also get a HDD or RAM bump?

Will this refresh be the last of thicker Macbook pro's?

Your speculations please. :D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
pgiguere1

pgiguere1

macrumors 68020
May 28, 2009
2,167
1,200
Montreal, Canada
When there's a minor update (specs bump), Apple usually syncs their update date to Intel's new architectures rather than choosing an arbitrary interval like 8 months.

It's pretty safe to assume that Apple will wait for Haswell mobile CPUs which are planned for summer 2013. (At least according to Intel's current roadmap, actual date is not confirmed).

My personal guess is that the 15" rMBP will still start with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, but now be $100 less. I think the 13" rMBP will remain the same price and be upgraded to 256GB of storage on the base model. CPUs and GPU will of course be updated to their equivalent new version, and I expect BTO flash storage upgrades to be a bit cheaper.

I think cMBPs will all be discontinued. You might be able to buy 2012 models as refurbs for a little while but it will be the end of optical drives, Ethernet, FireWire and standard 2.5" drives on new Mac laptops IMO.

My guess:

2013 13" MacBook Pro (Model 1):
Intel Core i5, 2.7GHz dual-core
8 GB RAM
256 GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 4600
$1,699

2013 13" MacBook Pro (Model 2):
Intel Core i5, 2.7GHz dual-core
8 GB RAM
512 GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 4600
$1,999

2013 15" MacBook Pro (Model 1):
Intel Core i7, 2.5GHz quad-core
8 GB RAM
256 GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 4600
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
$2,099

2013 15" MacBook Pro (Model 2):
Intel Core i7, 2.7GHz quad-core
8 GB RAM
512 GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 4600
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
$2,499
 
Last edited:
bobcan

bobcan

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2007
680
5
Sunny but Cold.. Canada
What will the next Macbook refresh?

It WILL certainly Refresh Your Bank Balance!!

** And I think you are giving too much credit to 'specific update timing'.. and as mentioned by others here, Nothing Needed with What is out there now.. Methinks.. :apple:
 
G

GoPro

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 10, 2012
82
0
mslide said:
Doesn't make sense to update them before Haswell is released. I'd say not until mid summer 2013.
Click to expand...

The thing is though, when haswell will be coming out isn't certain yet. Asuming it comes out in July, will apple really allow its current Macbook pro line to go on unrefreshed and obsolete for 13 months? Doubt it. I think a refreshed line in january/february is a good bet, unless haswell's released earlier than june.


I also predict apple will make some minor physical changes to its retina MBP line such as remove those three ugly vents on the side, something they've done on the early MBA model.

The standard MBP will be phased out quite soon but i doubt this will happen till later this year (with the release of haswell) or early next year. Apple really need to work on their pricing though.
 
vpro

vpro

macrumors 65816
Jun 8, 2012
1,195
65
oh but they always do

mslide said:
Doesn't make sense to update them before Haswell is released. I'd say not until mid summer 2013.
Click to expand...

this is what happened to the entire macbook pro line in late 2011 they "quietly" updated every macbook pros processor speed by 0.1GHz right? that is about all they'll do if they do anything at all.

a true and most welcomed refresh would be price drops, even though they remove the optical drive and ethernet ports and reduce, shrink down in size etc etc etc, they don't pass on the savings to the consumer. they just add more into the components that are not user fixable. you only get a break when you shop refurbished like a year after the initial produce release or in this case you're getting a really good deal on 17" mbps.
 
M

mslide

macrumors 6502a
Sep 17, 2007
707
2
GoPro said:
allow its current Macbook pro line to go on unrefreshed and obsolete for 13 months?
Click to expand...

Not sure why you'd think they're obsolete. Even MBPs a couple/few years old aren't obsolete. Not by a long shot. They are still more than capable of running the latest apps.

13 months isn't long at all to wait for a refresh. Just ask the folks over in the iMac and Mac Pro forums :)

There are basically only 2 reasons for a company to update a product: 1) You need to in order to get people to spend money on your products or 2) The parts you are using are going end-of-life. Neither situation is happening right now.
 
G

GoPro

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 10, 2012
82
0
mslide said:
Not sure why you'd think they're obsolete. Even MBPs a couple/few years old aren't obsolete. Not by a long shot. They are still more than capable of running the latest apps.

13 months isn't long at all to wait for a refresh. Just ask the folks over in the iMac and Mac Pro forums :)

There are basically only 2 reasons for a company to update a product: 1) You need to in order to get people to spend money on your products or 2) The parts you are using are going end-of-life. Neither situation is happening right now.
Click to expand...

Obsolete as in there's a newer, improved version.
 
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