2012 Macbook Pro Redesign

[that1guyy]

Well I hope its a little lighter and I guess they can shave a millimeter or two of thickness, but hopefully it doesn't completely look like an Air.

And I still have hopes for the dual storage someone mentioned. An SSD as a boot drive and a HDD for other software.

Oh, and to the guy saying a dedicated gpa isn't necessary, no. I need one for video editing and 3d stuff. Why would I buy an external gpu if I'm paying a premium already for the laptop? I don't think Apple is dumb enough to put in an integrated gpu.

 

[thundersteele]

Oh, and to the guy saying a dedicated gpa isn't necessary, no. I need one for video editing and 3d stuff. Why would I buy an external gpu if I'm paying a premium already for the laptop? I don't think Apple is dumb enough to put in an integrated gpu.

Everyone has different priorities. My post was in reply to someone who argued that HDD storage should be removed since it's easy to connect external storage via thunderbolt and firewire. The same person asked for a built-in dedicated GPU, which, applying the same standards, could also easily be removed and replaced by an external GPU.

Another thing to consider is the production cost. If Apple goes with SSDs and retina displays for all MBPs, they might easily cut the dedicated GPU from the base 15'' model, or even introduce it as BTO option only.

Furthermore there is the heat issue. If they want to make the MBP thinner and lighter, one easy solution to maintain acceptable temperature levels is again to remove the GPU. Note also that this would solve the power issue that the 15'' model currently suffers from.

On the other hand, without the GPU, if they really put out a 15'' Air, they might as well kill the MBP line.

 

[Steve.P.JobsFan]

These are my predictions:

13 inch base

2.6GHz Core i5 Dual ~ Not sure, but possibly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

13 inch High End

2.9GHz Core i7 Duel ~
I doubt seeing a i7 in the high end 13, especially one clocked at 3GHz

1TB HDD ~ Possibly. But why would Apple use HDD's when they just bought that Arabian flash storage company?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are my remarks. Also, nice mockup of that MBP ad! I think I'd like to see an MBP like that one!

 

[bdodds1985]

These are my predictions:

13 inch base

2.6GHz Core i5 Duel
4GB of 1333MHz RAM
750GB HDD
Intel HD 4000
Redesign
1680X1050 Display

13 inch High End
2.9GHz Core i7 Duel
4GB of 1333MHz RAM
1TB HDD
Intel HD 4000
Redesign
1680X1050 Display

15 inch Low End
2.3GHz Core i7 Quad
4GB of 1333MHz RAM
1TB HDD
Intel HD 4000
AMD Radeon HD 7750M
Redesign
2560X1536

15 inch High End
2.6GHz Core i7 Quad (Optional 2.7GHz)
8GB of 1600MHz RAM (Optional 16GB)
1TB 7200RPM HDD
Intel HD 4000
AMD Radeon HD 7770M
Redesign
2560X1536

17 inch
2.6GHz Core i7 Quad (Optional 2.7GHz)
8GB of 1600MHz RAM (Optional 16GB)
1TB 7200RPM HDD
Intel HD 4000
AMD Radeon HD 7770M
Redesign
2880x1800

one usb. sounds about... apple

 

[Wrathwitch]

I think all of us "Heavy MBP users" want ONE THING the most. BETTER COOLING. The fans are fine but I hate having hot air being blown out of the keyboard and into my hands. When I play WoW or Minecraft for more than an hour my keyboard gets so hot.

How about: A way of the air passing through the USB ports. Sounds stupid?
Mmmm possibly.

Do you not use a cooling pad? Even when I was PC laptop gaming with a dedicated gaming lappie, I always ensured I had a top of the line cooling pad with it. It just makes sense in a continued maintenance kind of way.

 

[Suno]

Everyone has different priorities. My post was in reply to someone who argued that HDD storage should be removed since it's easy to connect external storage via thunderbolt and firewire. The same person asked for a built-in dedicated GPU, which, applying the same standards, could also easily be removed and replaced by an external GPU.

Another thing to consider is the production cost. If Apple goes with SSDs and retina displays for all MBPs, they might easily cut the dedicated GPU from the base 15'' model, or even introduce it as BTO option only.

Furthermore there is the heat issue. If they want to make the MBP thinner and lighter, one easy solution to maintain acceptable temperature levels is again to remove the GPU. Note also that this would solve the power issue that the 15'' model currently suffers from.

On the other hand, without the GPU, if they really put out a 15'' Air, they might as well kill the MBP line.

Apple prioritizes form over functionality, but that doesn't mean they've completed disregarded functionality altogether. To remove dedicated GPU would just mean killing the entire fanbase for the current MBP. I certainly wouldn't be getting it if they decided to do that. They might as well just remove the entire lineup altogether and focus on the MBA instead while the rest of us turn away and look to alternatives.

 

[thundersteele]

I've just noticed that I haven't yet added my own useless prediction to this thread

Instead of trying to predict what Apple will do, which I can't, I asked myself what I would do.

Upgrade both the Pro and Air line to Ivy Bridge in May/June.
Introduce a new 15'' Air along with the upgrade - priced around $1600-$1800

13'' Pro: No redesign, Ivy CPU, USB 3.0. cut price to $999 or $1099. High-res screen optional for $100.

15'' Pro: No redesign, Ivy CPU, 8 GB ram, (16 GB BTO), USB 3.0, same base prices, discrete GPU
Low end model: 500 GB Hybrid HDD/SSD w/ 16 GB Flash memory, SSD upgrades priced at $100, $300, $700 for 128, 256, 512 GB.
High end model: 750 GB Hybrid HDD/SSD w/ 32 GB Flash memory. Upgrades to pure SSD for $200 (256 GB) and $600 (512 GB)

17'' Pro like the 15'' high end. Same battery sizes, Ivy brings 10 hours on the 13'' and 8-9 hours on the 15''/17''.

Reason: The 15'' and 17'' Pros are the powerful machines, so they need quad core CPUs and a dedicated GPU. This requires a certain amount of space for heat dissipation and cooling. The possible added value from removing the ODD is too small and too specific, so it stays. SSD speed is required, but the user should not be responsible for moving stuff from/to the SSD - therefore the base configs get a hybrid drive.
Screens: The retina is not ready. No need to bump the screen resolution on the base models, because people like the screens. Optional upgrade to high-res and anti-glare screens is enough.

The Air line sacrifices power for portability - no ODD, no GPU, slightly shorter battery life. The 13'' MBP is in a weird position - reduce price to place it as entry level model for students etc. The other option here is to remove the 13'' Pro.

 

[JohnnyQuest]

The Air and Pro lines are going to merge in some way. Either a 15" Air is going to be offered, or all of the Pros will assume a more tapered and slim design similar to the Airs.

It's still odd to me that there is no longer a "MacBook" and I feel that the 11" Air might fill that void with a name-change (drop the "Air"; simply "MacBook). Then, the 13", 15", and 17" models will adopt the slimmer design and still be called MacBook Pros.

Essentially, the death of the MacBook Air name, but the adoption of the form factor into the Pro line.

 

[Tsuchiya]

I really hope that because Apple has been investing in new tech that the 2012 MBPs will benefit. An ultra high-res screen+better SSD options+redesign could just be the potent combination that settles my Mac dilemma. i.e. which Mac to buy to replace my 2007 MBP? Right now I'm jumping all over the product range trying to decide...

 

[toothache]

sorry but many of you guys are dreaming.

just like the "iPhone 5" hype.

no trolling.

resolution will not go beyond 1680x1050 - just think about the battery drain to support higher resolutions like that. - do any manufactures produce resolutions that high in mass?

CPU(i7 ivy) & GPU (7750m) upgrade

redesign is a possibility but how can MBP look better than what it is now?

 

[natejohnstone@g]

When do you guys think that we're likely to see a 17" MBP with Ivy Bridge? I personally don't care about a redesign, the current one is fine by me. I just want the significant processor upgrade.

Supposedly the processors themselves will be ready in April. I"m sure we'll see PCs with Ivy by May. So I'm really hoping for May/June for the 17" MBP.

Am I dreaming?

 

[maflynn]

When do you guys think that we're likely to see a 17" MBP with Ivy Bridge? I personally don't care about a redesign, the current one is fine by me. I just want the significant processor upgrade.

Possibly in the May to June time frame. Apple in the past has sat on a new chipset for a month or two and its quite possible that they could the same here as well.

 

[FuFuFu]

There will be:

-No redesign (if so we would have seen some leaks)

-Internal optical drive

-Instant on (SSD cache system or similar) (still harddrives as option)

-CPU Upgrade

-GPU Upgrade

-Longer battery lifetime (cause of cpu)

Maybe:

-High resolution screens (for 13" everything else is to expensive now)

 

[mscice]

I wonder if new MBP will have the wifi5G broad com chips or later end of the year... 1Gbps wifi ? on MBP YES please

 

[natejohnstone@g]

There will be:

-No redesign (if so we would have seen some leaks)

-Internal optical drive

-Instant on (SSD cache system or similar) (still harddrives as option)

-CPU Upgrade

-GPU Upgrade

-Longer battery lifetime (cause of cpu)

Maybe:

-High resolution screens (for 13" everything else is to expensive now)

If I had to guess, I'd say you're right on all counts. I really hope the "Instant On" happens, it seems that feature has been very successful in current systems. A separate SSD for the OS and cache system = sweet. I'll probably get an SSD for my main drive anyway, though.

And I agree that retina displays are a bit of a pipe dream for the 17" this spring. It would be cool, but I think the CPU and GPU upgrades are more important for me (I'm not convinced a retina display will look that much better than the current ones, which look amazing ... I mean really, I can't see any pixels now anway).

And as to the optical drive ... I know I'm not alone in saying that if ditches the optical drive in the 17" I won't be buying one.

 

[laurent05]

I hope they drop the ODD in the 13inch.
That would create a lot of space for a dedicated gpu and more battery life.
People that actually need a cd/dvd drive can always use an external one.

Also a hybrid drive would be nice, I don't see Apple introducing SSD as standard because of the current prices.

Most important, bigger resolution please!
And as already mentioned Ivy Bridge will be standard.
Quad core would be awesome but I don't see that happening..

 

[cmChimera]

There will be:

-No redesign (if so we would have seen some leaks)

-Internal optical drive

-Instant on (SSD cache system or similar) (still harddrives as option)

-CPU Upgrade

-GPU Upgrade

-Longer battery lifetime (cause of cpu)

Maybe:

-High resolution screens (for 13" everything else is to expensive now)

Leaks 3-4 months out seems like more a stretch than the actual redesign. We MAY not get a redesign, but I don't think it has anything to do with the amount of leaks we've got. SOMETHING seems to be happening with a design, whether it be a 15 inch air, or a thinner pro, or SOMETHING.

 

[SRTM]

I really hope the upgrade isn't that big, or else I will feel really guilty about just buying this 2011 mbp

 

[FuFuFu]

well thats always a problem with buying a technical product ...

 

[GuitarG20]

I hope they drop the ODD in the 13inch.
That would create a lot of space for a dedicated gpu and more battery life.
People that actually need a cd/dvd drive can always use an external one.

Also a hybrid drive would be nice, I don't see Apple introducing SSD as standard because of the current prices.

Most important, bigger resolution please!
And as already mentioned Ivy Bridge will be standard.
Quad core would be awesome but I don't see that happening..

I don't think Apple will be putting a dedicated card into the 13". Unless they plan on squeezing more battery, a dedicated card, and another fan into that small space, they can't do it and still maintain their present user experience. I think they'll stick with just integrated on the 13.

 

[Votekinky06]

I really hope the upgrade isn't that big, or else I will feel really guilty about just buying this 2011 mbp

Just don't look at the new one and you will be perfectly happy with your 2011 for quite awhile

 

[KohPhiPhi]

The Air and Pro lines are going to merge in some way. Either a 15" Air is going to be offered, or all of the Pros will assume a more tapered and slim design similar to the Airs.

It's still odd to me that there is no longer a "MacBook" and I feel that the 11" Air might fill that void with a name-change (drop the "Air"; simply "MacBook). Then, the 13", 15", and 17" models will adopt the slimmer design and still be called MacBook Pros.

Essentially, the death of the MacBook Air name, but the adoption of the form factor into the Pro line.

I've been saying the same thing for a long time. Considering how close the 2011 MBA 13" and MBP 13" are in terms of specs, performance and price, I think Apple could simply merge them both into a hybrid model, and same could apply to 15" and 17" models: a slightly thinned out MBP or a slightly beefed up MBA.

I personally don't think there's enough differentiation between the MBA 13" and MBP 13" to justify marketing them separately.

 

[thekev]

one usb. sounds about... apple

yeah... they're actually quite good at gauging what enough of their users will tolerate.

I've been saying the same thing for a long time. Considering how close the 2011 MBA 13" and MBP 13" are in terms of specs, performance and price, I think Apple could simply merge them both into a hybrid model, and same could apply to 15" and 17" models: a slightly thinned out MBP or a slightly beefed up MBA.

I personally don't think there's enough differentiation between the MBA 13" and MBP 13" to justify marketing them separately.

The issue there is that the 13" MBP isn't too insane in terms of performance. I guess they could always attempt to get a quad chip in the 13", but I don't know if it's a thermal or battery issue or both. If it's a battery issue, Intel's updated power management with Ivy Bridge might help there. It's supposed to be able to power down extra cores when they aren't needed. When you really need all available cpu power, battery life is going to suck regardless (look at the battery life if you're using flash).

 

[Shuri]

I don't think Apple will be putting a dedicated card into the 13". Unless they plan on squeezing more battery, a dedicated card, and another fan into that small space, they can't do it and still maintain their present user experience. I think they'll stick with just integrated on the 13.

I don't know if they would have to squeeze the battery. I've got a 15" MBP and when i am working on battery, i am on integrated pretty much all the time. Actually I use my dedicated GPU almost isolated on BC Windows, where i'm playing bf3. It's not like a dedicated GPU would destroy the 7 hours battery life while surfing ; its running on integrated anyway then.

On top of that, i believe it would make the mDP over HDMI to TV connection better: FullHD and an App using many resources could just be to much for the HD3000, isn't it? (Got no experience with that) I realized, i can't connect my MBP to the TV without turning the Dedicated GPU on (I've got a Program so i can switch it on and off) and i believe there's a good reason for that

Anyways, even if i would be perfectly fine with a 13" MBP without a DVD Drive and I'm pretty sure in Future no one is going to have one, i think there are still many people who would miss it.

Personally i used my DVD only to install Bootcamp.

Apps via App store, Music via iTunes, Photos via SD or directly from my iPhone

 

[thundersteele]

yeah... they're actually quite good at gauging what enough of their users will tolerate.

I'm happy that they don't try to please everyone. With too many compromises you end up with either a mediocre product or a bloated product line, or both.

I just hope that at least one of their products will offer what I need also in the future. If not... bad luck.