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

[MMOTotal]

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?

Most refreshes are just spec boosts etc with current models. Only 2-3 years down the line do we see a complete redesign.

On the iMac we seen the 21.5 and 27 inch introduced in 2009 and from 09 to 11 we seen spec boosts etc, nothing in terms of new design.

The retina MBP's will see spec boosts when the time comes, what the future holds for the older MacBook pros is yet to be seen.

 

[GermanyChris]

Really? I was on the road today, and most of the BMWs I saw were early 2000s models. Most cars in Germany are definetly not expensive cars. Ever heard of Dacia?

Apple prices are too high for European customers. The iPhone here has a low marketshare, and that is mainly because of outrageous off contract pricing. Why would anyone get the iPhone 5 for 679 EUROS over the S3 at 399 Euros?

Came could be translated to the mac, raising mac prices in Europe would kill off Apple marketshare in this continent.

People in the states don't realize the Germans simply don't change cars or anything else for that matter as often as they do.

 

[ThatsMeRight]

The fact is, GPU power has been there for a long time for Retina like resolutions. The GPU isn't bottlenecked at all. We've been running multiple monitor configurations and even the 30" ACD for close to what now ? 6 years and more. GPU tech has advanced so rapidly in the last decade it's not even funny. In 1998, you could already run 1600x1200 monitors off GPUs with 4 MB of WRAM (Matrox Millennium), which could barely drive a 3D game, had no hardware texture mapping or even T&L engines or shader engines.

Yet people are sitting there, in 2012, thinking a modern GPU has a hard time pushing 2880x1800. Astounding.

Yep, I think the problem is that we want to run these displays with high resolutions at a higher frame rate (preferably 60 frames per second, or higher) and with lots of 3D animations. We've got GPUs that can handle that with no problem, but those GPUs that ship with CPUs aren't powerful enough yet to and run a high resolution and run (multiple) 3D animations and keep the frame rate high enough.

 

[Eidorian]

IE, iPad Mini again makes Steve eat his own words. But Steve is used to doing that. He'll tell what Apple doesn't have is DOA, bad for user experience and then 2 months later, when Apple ships such a device, he'll tell you it's because "they nailed it" and that everything before it was in fact crap and only Apple's version is good.

Steve was a salesman. He lied to sell you his stuff and make you think it was the best and only good thing out there.

I have a great time on my Nexus 7 tablet. I would have typed this post up on it if I did not hate typing on my tablet. (Even with gestures and voice.) I had a chance to try out the Surface's keyboard and it is really good. You just have to adjust to the lack of a tactile response. I would rather not get a Bluetooth keyboard for my tablet. I save the long replies for my notebook or desktop.

The fact is, GPU power has been there for a long time for Retina like resolutions. The GPU isn't bottlenecked at all. We've been running multiple monitor configurations and even the 30" ACD for close to what now ? 6 years and more. GPU tech has advanced so rapidly in the last decade it's not even funny. In 1998, you could already run 1600x1200 monitors off GPUs with 4 MB of WRAM (Matrox Millennium), which could barely drive a 3D game, had no hardware texture mapping or even T&L engines or shader engines.

Yet people are sitting there, in 2012, thinking a modern GPU has a hard time pushing 2880x1800. Astounding.

5760 x 1080 is where I judge powerful GPUs nowadays. 2560 x 1600 can be done without breaking a sweat. We can both remember when 1024 x 768 in 16-bit color was CRAZY.

Though this would be on a desktop. Unless Apple suddenly has us carrying around portable workstations with 2 GB of GDDR5 and just shy of full desktop shaders/clock speed.

People equate GPU performance with whether or not scrolling in Safari is 'smooth' or if they can play a particular game at full retina resolution. The ability to drive a monitor of that resolution is of course there, though the included hardware may not allow for as optimal a viewing experience as possible. You're right, the hardware has improved in leaps and bounds. The smoothness of the animations or gameplay is also as dependent on software as it is on hardware. On the other hand, people have increased their expectations that they should be able to take any game, crank it to max, and have it "just work." People are conflating two concepts, but their point still stands: they want everything/anything to work at full resolution or else the hardware isn't "powerful enough." The distinctions simply are arbitrary beyond that.

The smoothness of 2D animations? We already pointed to crummy threading in Safari back when the high resolution notebooks came out. That was resolved via software.

3D gaming at 2650 x 1600 or higher? I would not have any expectations to pull that on off on a tablet or notebook for that matter. That is still desktop territory.

Yep, I think the problem is that we want to run these displays with high resolutions at a higher frame rate (preferably 60 frames per second, or higher) and with lots of 3D animations. We've got GPUs that can handle that with no problem, but those GPUs that ship with CPUs aren't powerful enough yet to and run a high resolution and run (multiple) 3D animations and keep the frame rate high enough.

5760 x 1080 called.

 

[Michael Scrip]

That's not what he said though. He said anything smaller than a iPad was DOA. The full quote from the '11 earning's call :

Apple has done extensive user testing on user interfaces over many years, and we really understand this stuff. There are clear limits of how close you can physically place elements on a touchscreen before users cannot reliably tap, flick or pinch them. This is one of the key reasons we think the 10-inch screen size is the minimum size required to create great tablet apps.

IE, iPad Mini again makes Steve eat his own words. But Steve is used to doing that. He'll tell what Apple doesn't have is DOA, bad for user experience and then 2 months later, when Apple ships such a device, he'll tell you it's because "they nailed it" and that everything before it was in fact crap and only Apple's version is good.

Steve was a salesman. He lied to sell you his stuff and make you think it was the best and only good thing out there.

Thanks for clearing that up.

A lot has changed in the 2 years since Steve Jobs said that quote. Smaller tablets have definitely taken their spot in the market. It would be wrong for Apple to ignore that segment today, no?

It's a good thing you can still purchase the full-sized iPad if you want "great" tablet apps though.

 

[ThatsMeRight]

Really? I was on the road today, and most of the BMWs I saw were early 2000s models. Most cars in Germany are definetly not expensive cars. Ever heard of Dacia?

Apple prices are too high for European customers. The iPhone here has a low marketshare, and that is mainly because of outrageous off contract pricing. Why would anyone get the iPhone 5 for 679 EUROS over the S3 at 399 Euros?

Came could be translated to the mac, raising mac prices in Europe would kill off Apple marketshare in this continent.

I think the real problem is that they actually increased prices for the iPhone 5 this year. A 16 GB iPhone 4S? €599 last year. A 16 GB iPhone 5? €679, but in most European countries even higher. That's at least a $100 price increase.

It's funny to consider that Apple actually mentioned, during their previous conference calls, that they didn't really see growth in Europe 'because of the economic recession'. I think it has more to do with prices that continue to rise and rise, and bad marketing. I've seen only one single iPhone 5 ad here this year. At night.

 

[24Frames]

Sorry this is complete garbage.
We all know that when Intel release new CPUs Apple and everyone else will update their laptops to use them.

Please give us some real rumours rather than stating the obvious.

 

[Mojo1]

I've tried out the Retinas and the latest 2012 iMacs - and the advertised 75% less reflective screen has to do with the intensity of the reflection, i.e. the reflection is darker. But the reflection is still there, and you can see the detail of what is behind you. It's darker, but still as clear as ever. Hence, if someone held a book open behind you, the reflection of the Retinas and new iMacs would be darker than the earlier glossy screens, but you would still be able to read the writing of the book's reflection.

I'd say that reflections are reduced maybe 25%... BFD.

I have a 2011 13" MBP and a Power Support anti-glare film significantly improved its display. I was very skeptical that I would be happy with the film but the online reviews won me over. I initially installed it on an iPad. When I compared the 13" MBP with the anti-glare film side-by-side with my 2008 15" MBP with a matte screen and the displays were essentially identical.

The Power Support film isn't the cheapest but it is worth every penny.

If Apple switches to all-Retina displays at around the current cost I'll be buying a couple of the 13" MBPs, presumably at a decent discount because the Apple Lemmings will be falling all over themselves getting in line for the Latest and Greatest Retina MacBook Pro.

 

[eccentricglow]

My two cents in a sea of ... many other comments.

I think honestly Apple is alienating a user base in order to obtain more profits, which makes me angry as a user. The main reason why I've kept my 2010 Macbook Pro as long as I have is because I was able to upgrade the ram, the SSD, and add a hard drive in place of the super drive. Now, if I got a RMBP, I couldn't do any of that AND I would have to settle with less storage currently (I have 1.5TB of space currently on my mac). I don't want to spend 3500-4000 on a laptop just to compensate for not having to upgrade specs down the line AND have to pay Apple's prices to do it. Also, their SSDs are not as fast as a 3rd party's SSD. Honestly, I don't know what I'll do. Might have to switch back to Windows (ugh.)

The only way to add more storage to a RMBP is to get an SD card OR a micro SD card and one of these kinds of adapters: http://theniftyminidrive.com/

 

[heisetax]

True, that's why I think I'll wait this out for a change..My 13" 2011 is still fine and I have the more important dilemma of what / how to proceed wit my MBP 17". A new MBA would be nice, but it's really a luxury item, not a must have.

Keep your 17" MacBook Pro & forget about those other toy items. I have 2 of the last 17" MacBook Pros that Apple made I have cards for USB3 & eSATA III so they will last for many years. The current non high resolution 15" model would work for home useage as I can connect a 30" display to it & not notice the lack of screen size that they 17" gives. But if Apple goes to the glued & soldered high resolution models as the only choice it will be a long day until I would buy a new Mac laptop. Windows laptops are no real choice so replacing my current 17" laptops can only be replaced by used 17" MacBook Pros or at the present time when batteries are not needed the Mac Mini would do a good job. The iMacs are now almost totally unserviceable so they are now also totally out question also. Actually Apple is changing their computer lines to ave no model that I would purchase. No "new" Mac Pro is already 2+generations old & 2 1/2 years since it has been updated.

Toys can be glued together because my computer work can go without them. But my work needs the many Macs that I have purchased since 1984.

 

[Technarchy]

Sorry this is complete garbage.
We all know that when Intel release new CPUs Apple and everyone else will update their laptops to use them.

Please give us some real rumours rather than stating the obvious.

Pretty much.

Here's a rumor.

In 2014 Apple will release a new iMac with a more powerful CPU/GPU, and more RAM than iMacs released the previous year...

That was easy...

 

[maxosx]

Tim Cook has already said iOS and OS X won't converge.

Steve said Apple wouldn't build a 7" iPad.

Times change & things change, 2013 promises to be a challenging year, and not just for Apple. Mr. Cook has his work cut out for him.

 

[wshyang]

A for profit company trying to make a profit.....shocking.

Yes, Apple is struggling so hard to survive aye? 49% profit margins, let's try to double that shall we?

I am so glad that I have bought a Classic MBP as well. After your warranty expires,
in case of almost any problem, you could be an "Apple Genius" and do "Apple Care" service for yourself:
you will be able to repair the Classic MBP without paying a fortune for it!

You know, there are a lot of people who are very happy with their new Retina MBP, literally jumping from happiness!
With their wallet, they have determined the Retina MBP success, and Classic MBP extinction.

But you will see that later, in 3-5 years term, a significant part of these people will flood various Mac forums,
telling sad spooky stories about how their Retina MBP with shiny nice Retina screen just broken down recently,
and Apple Genius with a smile on the face told something like:

"Your RAM is corrupted, I am so sorry, really sorry RAM is soldered, thus we need to replace the whole logic board.
But you are a valuable customer to Apple, so do not worry: with our special discount, it will cost just $1200 for you!"

And they will ship that bad mobo to China, pay some poor kid a few quid to rework it, and sell that repaired board to the next faithful for another $1200.

----------

Solution: Buy Applecare.

Wow, how convenient. I presume Applecare makes Apple more money?

 

[Texran]

Glad I picked up the current 15" non-retina.

Just got one myself, was thinking about returning it for a 13 due to the weight and size. With this announcement I think I'll just keep it.

 

[twoodcc]

I hope this is true. Really looking forward to a retina air

 

[rocknblogger]

I don't mind that Apple wants to introduce retinal on their laptops but I am very concerned that they might discontinue the cMBP. That's my goto laptop and I hope they keep it around. On occasion I'm in need of the ODD, FW 800 and Ethernet port. I know I'm not the only one and to be honest thinner and light means absolutely nothing to me. I want as much functionality built into the laptop as possible. Not only that but I still want a machine I could upgrade and repair on my own.

I was hoping for a Haswell cMBP but if it starts looking like it will be more like the rMBP then I'll either buy the current model or even go with the last 17". Fortunately there are a few places you can still find them. Even Apple refurbs.

 

[Braniff747SP]

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.

I don't expect prices to rise on any products with the exception of inflation adjustment. Historically, it's not been done. However, products that are truly new or heavily revolutionized carry higher price tags. Retina in a couple of years will be standard and will be no more expensive than SD displays.

Also, the whole "Apple after Steve" thing is getting tiresome.

 

[heisetax]

A new processor for the MBA. ARM chips seem to be inbound if this is to be believed coupled with the rumours from earlier this year it remains to be seen but sure makes sense. Apple must be trying to nerf the MBA against the MBP as its a powerful little workhorse that must cannabalise potential sales of the MBP.

Ive played on a few up in my local Apple Store and it seems to run Aperture flawlessly. Its been nerfed over a few years now what with removing dedicated GPUs etc. It wouldnt surprise me if Apple totally pisses of its customers with turning it into a underpowered kiddies laptop for school.

Apple has told me several times that they are just a consumer electronics company & not a business computer company. That means that we should expect to see the continual downgrading of the complete Mac line. So if all Apple is going to sell are iToys with the iOS to run them why mess around with real business computer cpus?

 

[SAIRUS]

Well just when I was about to purchase a retina MBP, if they end up standardizing it across the line, and possibly lower the price, then I'm going to hold off.

If they hold the same price, I'll be a little ticked I waited, but I'll just blame myself. Oh well, better specs won't hurt. Stick with the 09 Macbook a little longer. (I have a 15" rMBP maxed out for work, and it's amazing).

 

[Boxcar Edit]

Ditto on the 17" comments. If there's a 17", I'm buying one. If not, it'll be a long, long time before I give up my 17" MBP. It'll be held together with duct tape by the time I replace it. Classy.

 

[heisetax]

I don't mind the standard retina display (as long as prices are more reasonable than current rMBP prices) or even lack of optical drive in the next MBP. But the lack of user upgradeability is the reason I won't even consider the current rMBP.

My Late 2008 uMBP is still chugging along strong no doubt due to the ability to upgrade RAM and HDD (currently at 8gb, 750gb). I don't want to pay $2k+ for a disposable laptop that is planned to be obsolete in 2 years time.

If the roadmap is accurate, I hope Apple leaves the soldered ram and proprietary SSD to the MBA line where portability is paramount, and gives the MBP line (retina or not) user upgradeable parts.

But going by what they did to the new iMac, I wouldn't hold my breath...

I tell the sales & genius bar people at Apple things like what you say & they just laugh at me & tell me that Apple is just a consumer electronics company & not about choice or upgradeability. So your choices will be like mine, a Frankentosh, Linux or Windows. That means that Apple can just become an iToy manufacturer & we can take the road that best fits our needs. I currently own 2 of the last 17" MacBook Pros that Apple made. Now we'll see if there will be a new MacBook Pro to be purchased by me. At this point I would say no. I'm 67 now. My Macs will run for 10 years or more. Because I mainly do income taxes & accounting I could very easy run on a Windows system like about 99% in my field do. All I need to run is Excel, QuickBooks & my efiling program. The efiling program is Windows only. This means that I can operate without the Mac, but not without Windows. S far Apple is doing all that it can to force me to leave the Mac User Group. I've only run MS-DOS & Windows on Macs. I started out with a Mac 128 in 1984. I just hope that I can make my current Macs run for at least another 10 years. Then I will have to either say good-by to Apple or buy the current Apple "Toy."

 

[nia820]

Believe me when I say, there are folks here (speaking for at least myself) that could care less for a retina display.

My work needs a performance machine that can handle normal tasks for business use.

I could care less if my excel spreadsheet has some extra dpi. Give me a better battery in my MBA, and more RAM (8 was a great bump!).

Retina- retina- retina- blah blah blah
My 1080p monitor has just fine resolution, thank you very much.

Ditto.

A laptop's purpose isnt just to look good. Retina on a laptop doesnt impress me one bit.

 

[Steve.P.JobsFan]

It should of gone 5years ago.

I wouldn't say 5 years ago (2007), as we still used physical media a fair bit. I think sometime in late 2010, or early/mid 2011 would've been a good time to axe the ODD, as physical media usage dropped a fair bit in 2010, but then plummeted in 2011. (Just my $.02...)

 

[cclloyd]

When will they release the quantum computer that has 500GHz and 2TB Ram?

 

[heisetax]

It should of gone 5years ago.

I like the late 2011 17" MacBook Pros that I own. One I left the optical drive in. The other one I put a second 750 GB hdd in the optical drive bay. This gives a much better choice than to remove the drive but give no room for a second hdd. Apple is trying its best to make us all losers.