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wait for rumored ultra thin?

  • waiting for ultra thin 15

    Votes: 43 43.0%
  • buying a 15 mbp

    Votes: 43 43.0%
  • buying a 17 mbp

    Votes: 14 14.0%

  • Total voters
    100

tim100

macrumors 65816
Original poster
May 25, 2009
1,368
0
how many will waiting for the rumored ultra thin 15 macbook and not buy a 17 or 15 mbp this year? will the 15 inch ultra thin be a macbook air or pro?
 
Intel 22nm cpus are rumoured to be released publicly in March/April 2012 with official support for USB 3.0 and Sata 6. It will also lower the CPU's TDP by 10W with the same or better performance:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display/20111018231512_Intel_Begins_Volume_Production_of_22nm_Microprocessors.html

My prediction is apple will launch new designed Macbook Pro's w/ SSD's no optical drive and bigger batteries.... Look at this image on iFixit and imagine no hard drive and optical bay and how much more battery/slimness apple will have to work with:

http://www.ifixit.com/blog/blog/2011/11/08/the-new-macbook-pro/
 
I'll be buying a new computer around that time anyway, so I'll see what happens then. If the 15" ultra book happen then I'll probably go that route, but I'm starting to have a hard time considering something other than my 13" MBA right now, the form factor is perfect for me.
 
My 2008 early MBP (4.1) is getting ready for change, and anytime from now to mid 2012 is fine with me. Much depends on what Apple brings to market; a 15" Air would hold little interest for me, as I have a 13" Air and the form factor ideal for my use. A redesigned MacBook Pro is where it`s at; wedge design, blade SSD, quad core, discrete GPU.

I hope that they do revise the MBP line as the 17" is also very much on the radar, the one potential downside is if Apple remove the ODD, the ability to build a SSD & HD hybrid system may also vanish, in which case I will most likely go for the last of line Unibody in it`s present form, ironically my 4.1 is also last of it`s line :p
 
Am I the only one afraid of buying 1st generation products?

My current Black MB had it's fair amount of problems, and most of them seemed to be related to it being a new model.

The current unibody design has been extensively tested and most physical design flaws must have been already corrected. I fear that with a new radical change, they end up screwing something up. Maybe nothing major, but something ought to be wrong.
 
^ xD

The waiting game is pathetic to be honest. If you need a computer, get it.

I disagree - It's worth hopping on at the beginning of a new generation of CPUs etc, rather than the end ...
Which is why the MacRumors Buying Guide is so useful
 
How about option C: none of the above?

I took delivery of my new 15" MBP last week and couldn't be happier.I have no desire in waiting for a product that is rumored to be a mass redesign. What if the design isn't exactly what I want? Smaller usually means sacrifice. I'm happy with the look, feel, and performance of the current gen MBP. Playing the waiting game will only shorten your life ;)
 
None of the above would by my suggestion but whatever floats ur boat if you have the patience it might turn out to be a virtue or a disappointment
 
Am I the only one afraid of buying 1st generation products?

My current Black MB had it's fair amount of problems, and most of them seemed to be related to it being a new model.

The current unibody design has been extensively tested and most physical design flaws must have been already corrected. I fear that with a new radical change, they end up screwing something up. Maybe nothing major, but something ought to be wrong.

Valid point, and another reason why I dont want to rule out the present model. This being said I have a 2011 13" and it`s a super machine with no issues at all. Logically Apple will build and build on reliability, so the initial releases of today are less likely to have issue, than those of several years ago.

As a rule I upgrade my primary machine 3-4 years, either ways the increase in performance will be a huge step up compared to my early 2008 and a discounted early 2012 due to a refresh wouldn't be to shabby.
 
Buy it now if you need a computer. Otherwise, waiting is always better because you will get better hardware for the same money. Anyway this is a never-ending story, buy your stuff when you need it.
 
I think many of us are worried about this equation:

UltraThin = Less Power

As a PRO user, I'm quite happy with my 15" MBP and I also think the 17" MBPs are just as sweet.

I am not trying to sound arrogant or superior but I use my MBP for my job which includes teaching, programming, database design, graphics work, network design, lecturing, and many other tasks.

Given that I am interested in:

-Always more powerful CPUs with more cores (I use VMs a bunch)

-More memory - I am shocked that Apple still sells PRO computers with only 4 GB of memory. Luckily, 8GB is cheap but it is sad that PRO PC notebooks are shipping with 16GB now.

-More powerful GPU and more memory - 1 GB is adequate but many PC portables have more GPU memory and that would really help me in Photoshop with TIFF images.

-USB 3 support as TB has become a disaster

-More battery life

-You can remove the OD as long as I can plug it in via USB.

-Finally, I'm quite happy with my 1" thick MBP.

I DO NOT want to trade any of the above so I can slide my MBP into a paper envelope.

I am concerned that an ultra 15" and/or ultra 17" will retard Apple's ability to go with better/faster CPUs, GPUS, and memory for each.

I understand some people really want that and I'm happy for them. I am skeptical that moving the entire line to this form factor would be advantageous.


Watching this post be modded down in 3...2...1...
-P
 
I think many of us are worried about this equation:

UltraThin = Less Power

As a PRO user, I'm quite happy with my 15" MBP and I also think the 17" MBPs are just as sweet.

...

I didn't want to quote your whole post, but I don't think I could have said it any better. The only thing I would disagree with is your opinion that Thunderbolt is a disaster - I think TB is in its infancy and I am still optimistic that we will see some good devices coming in the future.

I am interested to see what happens in 2012 in regards to the whole Mac product line - I think it will give an even better indication as to where Apple may be going with computing in general (at this point I'm somewhat concerned that they may be going even further into becoming a mobile device centric company - but I am hoping I am wrong).
 
There are a few problems with waiting for the new model, that can end up being frustrating.

- delays. March/april sounds reasonable if Intel get the CPUs out in jan/feb. But it can easily be mai/june if there is some delay.

- it could be more a 15'' MBA and less a 15'' MBP redesign, i.e. low power quad core, no dedicated graphics, no optical drive, built in SSD sticks, few connections, non-upgradable RAM.

- issues with the new technology. I would wait at least a month until it is clear that there are no major problems with the new chipset and the new MBP/A design

If any of the above appears, then the backup option is to buy the current MBP, which by that time will be 6 month old...
 
It's tedious for the waiting game. I was waiting since June 11 and I am getting bored now. Next month will be a good time for me to buy a 15" macbok pro for my Birthday. I think the current model can do all my needs and I can use it for many years. I dont not mean to obstruct your waiting, but if you wait and you cannot work, just get a new one. It's not worth to follow new technology since you cannot do you work and get bucks.

This rule is still useful: If you need it, get it now. If you can wait, then wait.

:)
 
1) how many will waiting for the rumored ultra thin 15 macbook and not buy a 17 or 15 mbp this year?

2) will the 15 inch ultra thin be a macbook air or pro?

1) We don't even know what the final specs are, therefore this poll is irrelevant.

2) See number 1.
 
Like many I am happy to see the MBP slim down some, however not at the cost of performance. that`s what the Air is for, compromising a level of performance for portability. if anything I want to see Apple push the performance envelope on the MBP as mine is typically my desktop so the more the performance the longer the usable life.

As for waiting, the next refresh will just about coincide with when I plan to buy assuming it`s around mid 2012, what I have presently will be adequate for the next 6-8 months (MBA i5 & MBP 4.1). The only variable for me is my work as I work internationally and if a new assignment comes up that may well alter the plan, as the level of MBP I plan to buy can be close to $1000 more expensive in some countries :rolleyes:
 
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I folded; Today I picked up a new 2.4 15" MacBook pro (8.2), Apple pricing here in Malaysia is about as good as it gets ($2150), saving nearly $1K US compared to UK or the EU. My old MacBook Pro (4.1) has well and truly paid it`s way and served me flawlessly over the years, however the time has come to upgrade. My i5 13" Air dominates my old Pro and that speaks volumes. As much as I appreciate the Air`s portability it lacks the sheer raw power the new MacBook Pro`s offer.

If my company reassign me, we will literally move within a calendar month, then the last thing on your mind is buying a new computer. If a slimed Pro does appear I will wait some time for it to mature. In the mean time I know my new MacBook Pro 8.2 can accept an SSD & HD combo, so next month 8Gb of RAM and a OWC 240GB SSD may well be getting installed or a second HD as I reluctantly agree that until SSD`s can increase in capacity and significantly reduce in price, for serious use a hard disk is still the better option.

Not even started up, fresh out the plastic wrapping, nothing quite like a new Mac :D
 
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Heat and battery life are important to me in a laptop so I am waiting for Ivy Bridge-based notebooks to be announced/released before I make a decision.

FWIW I presently have an 2009 8-core Mac Pro and since I have moved my Windows server VMs off on to a dedicated Hyper-V host machine a higher end 4-core notebook could replace the Mac Pro and meet my needs. However I also find myself traveling with both my laptop (mid-2009 15" MBP) and a company laptop, so an ultralight laptop might make some sense too.

So I'll wait 6-8 months for Ivy Bridge and see how things have shaped up at that point. By that time my current laptop will be approaching the age when I would normally replace it anyway.
 
I'm in the fortunate situation where my job provides me with a laptop--a cheap Toshiba 15", but hey, it's a laptop. The screen, graphics card (or lack thereof), and slow CPU are slowly killing me--I work with media (photo, video, GPS, cloud point laser scans) for a sim racing game and I'm on the road more often than not.

My main worry with the 2012 15" Macbook Pro is...that it won't be "pro". Some features I'd like to hold out for (USB 3.0) but especially if there's no hardware graphics...I think I'll just spring for the late-2011 MBP 15".

I don't "need" a new laptop...but I definitely want one. Not quite sure when to pull the trigger though. I couldn't vote on the poll because I'm still waiting on my decision to purchase the current MBP :p
 
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