Waiting for the 2017 MBP (Kaby Lake / Cannonlake / Coffee Lake??)

[Val-kyrie]

So how did Dell get Kabylake for Q4 2016? I know this is only the U version, but the 13 MBP should be using the U version -- different story for the 15" version though.

You are correct. Dell is using a U-Version with Intel HD. Apple is waiting for a dual-core chipset that includes Iris graphics, which are a step up from Intel HD. The KL chipset appropriate for the 13" MBP should be available in Q1 2017 (ETA Feb).

The sad reality is that when the new form factor MBPs arrive, it is possible that Apple's flagship 15" MBP will be a generation behind in graphics performance compared to the 13" MBP because the former will likely be on Skylake while the latter will be on KL. The only way this could be mitigated is if the dGPU in Apple's 15" MBP includes the same ability as Intel's KL iGPU to process 4k video codecs. Still, the red-headed step child in this scenario would be the SL iGPU only 15" MBP which would presumably lack the necessary video codecs to allow the GPU to handle 4k.

My advice is to make sure that whatever you buy, you understand the capabilities of the GPU in the computer, be it integrated or discrete. Anyone caught with a Skylake computer with only Skylake integrated graphics is going to get left behind as companies (YouTube, Sony, Netflix, etc.) move to 4K content.

 

[blindpcguy]

yeah i plan on financing a dedicated gnu model tired of the pos dell laptop that i got after my MacBook pro 2012 died. i love having a ogpu in my laptop for a number of things I'm kinda hoping that they go back to a nvidia laptop gpu maybe a 1060 or something would be so nice especially since the ogpu will be limiting. compared to the cabby models. what do everyone else think the ogpu will be

 

[Dicelu]

For the last time - the XPS 13 is using a 15W CPU. The 13" rMBP uses a 28W CPU with Iris Graphics. The 15" uses a 47W CPU with Iris Pro Grahics.

Intel's currently released Kaby Lake processors are all 4.5W and 15W CPUs. The type of Kaby Lake CPUs suitable for the 13" do not exist yet and a Kaby Lake CPU with Iris Pro will never exist.

Never paid enough attention to notice that the XPS 13 uses a 15W CPU. Given that XPS 13 QHD and MBPr 13 have sensibly similar battery life, I conclude that MacOS' energy management efficiency is pretty amazing compared to Windows'.

 

[curmudgeonette]

No it won't. Kaby Lake processors are probably less than 5% faster than their Skylake counterparts.

On some other web site, someone posted the results of a test: Clock for clock, Skylake and Kaby Lake are identical, i.e. there are no architectural changes in the CPUs. Improvements in the 14nm+ process though allow a slightly higher clock rate. For example, the fastest Y-series chip goes from 1.2 to 1.3 GHz. So - something around 5% faster.

 

[blindpcguy]

ah so it won't matter that much i wonder the deference in the gpus though.

 

[thermodynamic]

Since Kaby Lake is now shipping maybe this is what apple was waiting for which could explain the delay.

People said the same thing about Skylake... Apple is either trying to prevent the 3 people who still try to hackintosh to get anywhere or they're focusing on the more lucrative-for-now phone sector.

 

[SSD-GUY]

People said the same thing about Skylake... Apple is either trying to prevent the 3 people who still try to hackintosh to get anywhere or they're focusing on the more lucrative-for-now phone sector.

3 people? The Hackintosh community is HUGE.

 

[thermodynamic]

Haha only 793 pages to go to catch up to it! I got tired of waiting for skylake so I snatched up a 15in zenbook instead for $940 (newest model originally $1500) during amazons 20% off wearhouse sale. I'm very happy with my choice; however, if Apple skips skylake and moves onto Kabylake them I'll definitely buy another macbook pro otherwise I'll just have to stick to Windows if Mac doesn't get ahead of the competition like they used to. I'm tired of the MacBook pros playing catchup, at one time they used to always be the latest and greatest and that made it much easier to justify their higher pricing, getting old tech at a premium is No Bueno. Lol

I've been migrating to Linux, hate to say it. Apple was dragging its heels, not impressed by how thin or hot a laptop gets under load - especially for the price and claimed quality involved, and Adobe's ransomware prices will drive more out of the market, since despite popular belief Adobe still has routine sales despite once saying they would stop. Last I'd read, even the subscription service isn't doing too well to keep the profits up. Hence the term "ransomware", like renting, there's no sense of value or ownership, it's like putting money into a toilet bowl and pressing down on that level thingy... open source alternatives just work and one needn't a dozen PhDs to figure out how to use it (though Apple's implementation of FreeBSD wins hands down, for those who want to be lazy I guess...)
[doublepost=1474161430][/doublepost]

3 people? The Hackintosh community is HUGE.

For a platform that is losing out, or else Apple would not have had such lengthy delays between iterations of laptops and desktops, maybe that's the reason why. The way the software companies are moving, there's less incentive to stay with Mac, much less take the hours needed to hackintosh a feeble buggy setup.

 

[andiwm2003]

You are correct. Dell is using a U-Version with Intel HD. Apple is waiting for a dual-core chipset that includes Iris graphics, which are a step up from Intel HD. The KL chipset appropriate for the 13" MBP should be available in Q1 2017 (ETA Feb).

The sad reality is that when the new form factor MBPs arrive, it is possible that Apple's flagship 15" MBP will be a generation behind in graphics performance compared to the 13" MBP because the former will likely be on Skylake while the latter will be on KL. The only way this could be mitigated is if the dGPU in Apple's 15" MBP includes the same ability as Intel's KL iGPU to process 4k video codecs. Still, the red-headed step child in this scenario would be the SL iGPU only 15" MBP which would presumably lack the necessary video codecs to allow the GPU to handle 4k.

My advice is to make sure that whatever you buy, you understand the capabilities of the GPU in the computer, be it integrated or discrete. Anyone caught with a Skylake computer with only Skylake integrated graphics is going to get left behind as companies (YouTube, Sony, Netflix, etc.) move to 4K content.

It will be a very very long time before Netflix and co stream only 4K. Such a bad scenario won't happen anytime soon. For the lifetime of these MBPs there will always be 720p or in the worst case 1080p available. In the best case they hopefully keep 480p available for the next 5-10 years.

 

[MindBreaker]

It will be a very very long time before Netflix and co stream only 4K. Such a bad scenario won't happen anytime soon. For the lifetime of these MBPs there will always be 720p or in the worst case 1080p available. In the best case they hopefully keep 480p available for the next 5-10 years.

Why would you like to have 480p available? I'd rather have no 480p and 4k on Netflix. Too bad only TV's can watch 4k Netfilx now

 

[andiwm2003]

Why would you like to have 480p available? I'd rather have no 480p and 4k on Netflix. Too bad only TV's can watch 4k Netfilx now

??
Why would you want 4K on a notebook screen? Or at all? 720p is more than enough. 4K prolongs download times and wastes ssd space.

 

[MindBreaker]

??
Why would you want 4K on a notebook screen? Or at all? 720p is more than enough. 4K prolongs download times and wastes ssd space.

Higher bitrate so better overall quality? I can see a difference on my 1080p monitor with 4k vs 1080p. I have a 200 mbps connection so speed isn't a problem and streaming so permanent ssd space.

 

[Val-kyrie]

It will be a very very long time before Netflix and co stream only 4K. Such a bad scenario won't happen anytime soon. For the lifetime of these MBPs there will always be 720p or in the worst case 1080p available. In the best case they hopefully keep 480p available for the next 5-10 years.

Although I used streaming as an example of 4K content, it will be much faster and less strenuous on the PC to produce 4K content on PCs with Kaby Lake.

 

[andiwm2003]

Higher bitrate so better overall quality? I can see a difference on my 1080p monitor with 4k vs 1080p. I have a 200 mbps connection so speed isn't a problem and streaming so permanent ssd space.

I wish I had your eyes. I see a difference between 480 and 720 but not beyond that unless I walk up close to a very expensive monitor. For serious video work I see the point. For tv fans with a great screen also. For the casual binge watching of Netflix I don't care if it's 480 or better.

 

[toddzrx]

Higher bitrate so better overall quality? I can see a difference on my 1080p monitor with 4k vs 1080p. I have a 200 mbps connection so speed isn't a problem and streaming so permanent ssd space.

200Mbps is a very pricey connection speed, if one can get it at all. Besides, the network in general already slows down in the evenings when everyone's streaming Netlix; everyone trying to do it at 4K would only make it that much worse.

 

[Sonmi451]

Is Kaby Lake the one that is supposed to come this fall?

 

[flyinmac]

Is Kaby Lake the one that is supposed to come this fall?

Kaby Lake is the current line of Intel Processors. And the successor to the Sky Lake series.

What remains to be seen is whether Apple will miss this generation of processors as well.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Kaby Lake is the current line of Intel Processors. And the successor to the Sky Lake series.

What remains to be seen is whether Apple will miss this generation of processors as well.

Kaby Lake CPUs that could be used in the MBPs will not be released until Q1 2017. Current KL CPUs use the lower performance Intel HD iGPUs instead of Intel's Iris and Iris Pro iGPUs.

 

[Sonmi451]

Kaby Lake CPUs that could be used in the MBPs will not be released until Q1 2017. Current KL CPUs use the lower performance Intel HD iGPUs instead of Intel's Iris and Iris Pro iGPUs.

Thanks, it's so confusing following these threads sometimes. I knew Skylake was before from the 1000+ page thread, but it's been so long since a MBP release I wasn't sure if they would skip it.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Thanks, it's so confusing following these threads sometimes. I knew Skylake was before from the 1000+ page thread, but it's been so long since a MBP release I wasn't sure if they would skip it.

There is a lot of misinformation concerning Apple's CPU options on these forums, but Apple has done itself no favors by failing to at least update the 15" to Broadwell. Take everything, including what I write, with a heaping spoon full of salt--it is Mac-RUMORS after all.

There are some sites which are discussing the current and future roadmap for Intel CPUs. You can find these by googling "Kaby Lake" and sometimes adding "roadmap" but limit the search to the past month. Everything prior is outdated. I have listed some of the information in some of my other posts, so you may want to check those out too--including the provided links.

 

[Jjaro]

I wou

Argh. My daughter starts college next month and I really wanted to pick up a new MBP to get her through the next 4 years. I just can't see buying the current models, so I have been waiting impatiently for these to be released. She may end up starting school with her old Macbook (she'd rather wait for the new models).

Personally, I'd wait to see what Apple decides to go with too. Hopefully next month they announce something.

 

[mrkkbb]

Personally, I'd wait to see what Apple decides to go with too. Hopefully next month they announce something.

The question is, do you wait through October? And if no announcement, take that to mean no new Mac until May? And thus you buy.

 

[g33k]

In about 2 years right before I go to college, I will definitely break down and buy a dGPU 15" rMBP. Can't wait for what they look like though. I'm using a Surface Pro 3 at the moment and it is merely 2 years old and starts to see it's age.

 

[Merkie]

Never paid enough attention to notice that the XPS 13 uses a 15W CPU. Given that XPS 13 QHD and MBPr 13 have sensibly similar battery life, I conclude that MacOS' energy management efficiency is pretty amazing compared to Windows'.

The biggest difference between the 15W and 28W CPU's are the GPU's. As long as you're not stressing the GPU by much, performance and power usage will be similar. The 28W CPU just gives the MBP a lot more headroom for GPU intensive tasks. This ensures a smooth operating system whilst not giving in on performance. Also, the rMBP has a huge battery. It might also be more energy efficient, but that's only part of the story.

 

[Jjaro]

The question is, do you wait through October? And if no announcement, take that to mean no new Mac until May? And thus you buy.

Good point, but if your daughter already has a Mac, on hand now, why not just wait?